Some Turkey and Some Mistletoe
by sparklepop777
Summary: My holiday GA fic! There's a party at Meredith's house and all the GA doctors are reminded that miracles always happen around the holidays. Brianna's back! Sequel to The New Girl.
1. It's That Time of Year Again

So this is probably stupid, starting a fic during exams but I just had to do something. It's going to be slow progress but by next Tuesday I'll really be able to pound it out! Basically it's Thanksgiving - Christmas. I haven't decided if I'll do a New Years or something. All I know is that there's going to be lots of holiday spirit in this. Other than that, I'm letting it write itself.

Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy or any of their characters. I do own Brianna and Lynn. (Yes, they're coming back!)

* * *

"Absolutely not."

"Oh, come on. Seriously? You know I do this every single year! How can you NOT say yes?"

"Things change."

"Well, isn't that why we have traditions? A little bit of constant is good every once in a while."

"I need you here."

"You have functioned perfectly fine without me before. It's one day. I will be back the next day. I'll come in a wheelchair if I have to."

"Things have happened here. It's not the same. And besides, if you're not here, who is going to keep the crazy men in check?"

"Okay, Richard. We can do this one of two ways. Number one, you can let me go. Number two, I can hang around you all day long. Either way, I'm getting my way. So what's it going to be?"

Richard stared back at the woman sitting in front of his desk. He sighed. "Fine, I'll let you go. Don't think that there's not going to be a price to this."

Addison answered by merely crossing her legs and putting her famous smirk on her face. "Thank you, Richard. I knew you'd come around." She got up to leave and walked out of his office the exact same way that she had when they were in New York.

The Chief sat back and grinned. Some things never changed.

"Morning, interns," said Bailey. "The Thanksgiving schedule is tentative this year, but I will have it for you as soon as I get it. Dr. Montgomery will not be working. That's the only thing for certain. I assume that you are all on the same cases as yesterday?" She looked at all of them.

"My patient was discharged," said Meredith.

"Stay with the attending you were assigned to," said Bailey. "That would be Dr. Shepherd. Lucky you," she said with just a hint of sarcasm. "Get a move on, people!"

Izzie sniggered. "Hey Alex, have you done any real work lately? Oh, wait. How silly of me. Of course picking up your attending's dry cleaning is work."

"Shut up, Izzie. I'm telling you…one of these days…"

"Why's Satan taking off Thanksgiving?" asked Christina. "That doesn't make sense."

"Keep dreaming," said Izzie, ignoring Christina, who rolled her eyes.

"Karev," grinned Mark. "Just the person I wanted to see."

"Stevens," said Callie. "Let's go. We have a good case today, but we need to get started."

Derek walked up next to Meredith. "Hey," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "What's up?"

"Thanksgiving," she answered, leaving him looking a little confused.

"Let me guess," said Mark. "Addison's taking off Thanksgiving. She always does."

"Addison's been doing Black Friday ever since she was 10. She's really good at it," added Derek.

"What's Black Friday?" asked Meredith.

"Seriously?" asked both men at the same time. They looked at each other, surprised, then looked back at the interns, like they had reached some kind of mutual agreement to keep on hating each other.

"It's the Friday after Thanksgiving, the biggest shopping day of the year!" said Derek.

"It's one of the few days where everything's on sale, but I think you have to get up early or else you don't get the stuff."

"And there's fighting. Lots of fighting. Addison's pretty good but she always used to come home with scratches all over…bleeding one time, I think."

"Rabid shoppers striking out at each other all in the good spirit of Christmas?" asked Christina. "Sounds like my kind of holiday."

"Good morning," said Addison, sweeping into the room. "And thank you for the touching commentary. I loved it, really. O'Malley, let's go. After this case you're done for the day."

George left with a significant smile on his face.

"Let's go, Karev," said Mark.

"Dr. Grey," said Derek jokingly.

"Stevens," said Callie.

Christina sighed and headed off to do discharge.

A few hours later, George and Addison were finished with their surgery and were getting a snack, Addison's treat.

"Good job, O'Malley. You always go above and beyond the call of duty. That's a good thing." She looked at George and realized her comment was wasted at the moment because George's mouth was full of peanut butter crackers. "Wuff?" he managed to say.

"Chew with your mouth closed," said Addison. "Remember, the way your mommy taught you."

George glared and opened his mouth again.

"Ew," said Addison, pulling her hand up to shield her face. "Here." She handed him a napkin. "You cover your mouth while I…answer this phone call," she said, her phone ringing in her pocket.

George tried to swallow while Addison stuck her hands-free headset into her ear.

"Hello? Yes…yes…YOU WHAT?"

George was now leaning on the edge of his seat, phone in hand. Addison was still talking.

"Well, yes, of course. Yes, hurry. What were you think…you know what? I'll see you here. YES. Okay, bye." She turned around while putting her phone away to see George staring at her with an empty mouth and a face that was just asking for gossip.

"My sister and my niece are coming to visit me," said Addison casually, without a hint of the strong emotions she had had on the phone.

"Sister? Which one? You don't mean…"

"Lydia and Brianna are coming to visit," said Addison.

It was all George could do to not keep his eyes from popping out of his head. Instead, he swallowed and forced himself to stand up carefully. "You said…"

"Yes, O'Malley, go tell your little friends that Brianna's coming back," said Addison wearily.

"Is anything wrong?" asked George.

Addison looked at him.

"Right, over the line. Got it. I'll be going now," he said, turning to run, texting his friends all the while. _Brianna's back.

* * *

_

Please review, as always!!! 


	2. The Redheads are Coming to Town

A/N: Yeah, so I wrote this today on break. It's much better than eating. When I'm bored I just write:D At this rate, you guys will have half the story done by the end of the week. Just kidding. Thanks for the reviews, by the way!!!

Disclaimer: The only people I own (which doesn't sound right because that's slavery, which is wrong) are Brianna, Lydia, and Mr. Hollinger.

* * *

"Good morning, Mr. Hollinger," greeted Meredith as she walked into her patient's room.

The thin, bald man looked up from his bed. "Good morning, Dr. Grey," he sighed.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday," he said, "now that I know that there's a chance…" He trailed off, not wanting to jinx it.

"There's a chance that your paralysis is temporary," said Meredith. "I'd be excited too."

"Good morning, Mr. Hollinger," said Derek as he walked into the room. "I hope Dr. Grey is being nice to you." He winked at Meredith, who shook her head and tried not to laugh.

"I'm just fine, thanks," said the young man.

"Well, your labs are in and you're cleared for surgery," said Derek. "I'm sure you know about the risks?"

"Yes," said Mr. Hollinger firmly. "I'd like to go ahead, if that's alright."

"You're a father?" asked Derek.

"Yes, I've got twin fifteen-year-olds," answered Mr. Hollinger. "They're at school, and my wife is working. I didn't want to burden them."

"Meredith," said Derek quietly. "Go set up the OR. We'll be ready to go in about half an hour." In a louder voice, he looked at Mr. Hollinger, "Are you alright?"

"As I'll ever be," he answered. "This is going to be the best Thanksgiving ever."

Meredith nodded, smiled, and left the room. As she left, her phone buzzed. Outside the room, she looked at the text from George and grinned. "Yes," she said softly.

"Everything okay?" Derek had come out of the room.

Meredith guessed that Derek hadn't known. Of course, Brianna coming would make things a little awkward for him. "Remember Addison's niece?" she asked.

"Yes, how could I not?"

"She's coming with her mother here today."

"Did she say why?"

"Nope," said Meredith. She shrugged. "We'll all know soon enough. We always do."

* * *

"How is she?" asked Callie softly. She and Izzie had done major hip replacement surgery the other day. Their patient was sleeping now.

"Everything's good," said Izzie, looking at the chart and then at the patient. "That was a nasty fall, but I think we're good."

"Okay, good. Keep monitoring her. When she wakes up, we'll talk about her knee."

"Two surgeries in a few days. That's got to be rough on her body," said Izzie.

"Yeah," said Callie. "That wasn't any normal fall down the steps."

Izzie looked up and held Callie's gaze. She understood and nodded.

"They say that you're the best people-person out of all of us," Callie went on. "Don't make me regret this."

"Alright, Dr. Torres. Oh!" Izzie's pocket buzzed. She flipped open her phone and looked at the text messages. "Just in time for Thanksgiving! Yay," she whispered.

"Something I need to know?" asked Callie.

"Dr. Montgomery's niece is coming to visit," said Izzie, "with her sister."

"Addison has a sister?" asked Callie.

"It's a long story," said Izzie.

"Maybe we'd best get lunch then," said Callie, heading toward the cafeteria, Izzie right beside her.

* * *

"Hey Alex," greeted Meredith. They were standing near a vending machine.

"Did you get the text?"

"Yeah," smiled Meredith. "Just what we need."

"Someone else to shake up this place."

"You don't know that. Every time someone comes to visit doesn't mean that they're going to bring a bombshell with them."

"This is us we're talking about," said Alex. "Well, it's Satan. When has her life ever not been complicated?"

"Aw, that's cute, Alex."

"Shut up."

"Seriously though, you're right," said Meredith. "Why would the world start being nice to us now?" She kicked the machine. "It ate my money."

"Let me see?" said Alex. He pushed a few buttons, and Meredith's snack came out, along with about five other different things.

"How did you do that?"

"Do you seriously think I pay to get food out the vending machine?"

Meredith laughed. "Nice. So how's Sloan treating you?"

"He's making me buy him a Christmas tree."

"What?" They dissolved into laughter.

"I'm so serious. It's getting ridiculous."

"You're telling me? We've only realized this for, oh, I don't know. Forever?"

"I think I'm wearing him down."

"Tip, Alex? You're not going to wear Mark down. You should stand up to him like Izzie did."

"She did it anyway."

"But she made him think. He needs to learn that he can't walk all over us. We're interns, not personal slaves. Slaves yes, but not his personal slave."

Alex got a suggestive look on his face.

"Oh, seriously, come on. I mean, everything put aside…"

"You mean the fact that he's the guy who your boyfriend's ex wife cheated with? And the fact that he came all the way from New York to Seattle twice. And the fact that he's the new hospital manwhore?"

Meredith suddenly felt dizzy. "Yeah," she said. "But, IF you put that all aside, he's still our boss and we're his interns. He doesn't like us, workwise. And since when have we ever been pushovers?"

"I'll think about it."

"Thank you. Oh, and…okay. I know we don't do Thanksgiving, but those of us who aren't working are coming over to my house and we're going to have one of those…Thanksgiving dinner things."

"I'll be there."

"KAREV! WHERE IS MY PHONE?" hollered Mark.

"I'll see you later," he muttered and ran off.

Meredith got more free snacks.

* * *

By lunchtime, all the interns were gathered in Really Old Guy's Room. It was pretty amazing how they were always there, whether or not they were mad at each other.

"So, is the schedule out yet?" asked Izzie.

"You want the day off?" asked Alex.

"I just want to know," she said, shrugging.

Christina spoke up. "Brianna's coming today. Does anyone know when?"

For a minute, everyone forgot the semi-grudges they were holding against Christina and spoke at the same time.

"George, tell us what happened!" said Izzie. George explained what had happened.

"My guess is that it wasn't something particularly good," said Meredith.

"I told you," said Alex.

"We'll have to wait and see," said George. "By the way, weren't we told that we weren't supposed to be in this room anymore?"

"Like we care," said Christina. "I've got one of the nurse interns watching us outside. It's amazing what the babies of the babies will do for twenty bucks."

"Twenty dollars a time?" asked Izzie.

"Oh, please. I could be rich with all the bets I have with you guys."

"Are you she can be trusted? Remember what happened the last time you posted a lookout?"

Everyone laughed as Christina cringed. "She's trustworthy. She's afraid of me."

More laughter…then awkward silence. They had remembered the grudge. Christina didn't mind and went on eating.

"Did you have any good cases today?" asked Meredith in an attempt to help her friend.

"Two neighbors were brought in with severe burns…they tried to deep-fry a turkey and they were drunk."

"Thanksgiving's in four days," said George.

"Exactly! That's what I was trying to tell them!"

* * *

"Dr. Montgomery!" exclaimed George in surprise. He'd rounded the corner and almost run into her.

"What are you still doing here?"

"I…um…I…"

BEEP.

Both of them and the majority of the people around them checked their beepers. "It's mine," announced Addison, and everyone relaxed. "I'll deal with you later," she said, walking off.

George followed her. She looked back at him once, then shrugged and kept on walking. They kept going until they got to the front desk.

"You said someone was here to see me?"

"Right over there," smiled Becky, the person on duty today. She pointed.

Addison hardly had time to turn around when her niece practically knocked her over with a hug. "AUNT ADDISON!!!"

"Hey," laughed Addison. "How many times have I told you not to call me 'aunt'? It makes me feel old."

"You always say that," said Brianna. "You're right. The aunt thing? A little freaky."

"So," said Addison, pulling the girl back so she could look at her. She bore a striking resemblance to her Addison, more so than her mother, though, looking at Lydia, Addison could see that she had let go the fake tan and the hair dye. Her hair was red and her face was beige and freckled, but there was no doubt that Brianna resembled Addison in all aspects except for height. Lydia had always been short. "What brings you here?"

Brianna stared back at her mother and Lydia looked at the ground, ashamed.

"What's going on?" asked Addison in a warning tone.

* * *

Hit the little button in the corner!!!:D


	3. Family Togetherness

**I'm so glad you guys are liking this! Yay! Okay, so in this chapter you find out what's going on, but it can be a little confusing if you didn't read the other story. Basically, back in New York when Addison, Derek, and Mark were still friends, Mark was with Lydia, but no one knew about it. Anyway, he ended up leaving her because he wanted Addison, even though Addison didn't know that Mark was more than a friend. So Lydia got really mad. (She does tend to attack people. :D) So enjoy!!!**

**In this chapter: More gossip, confrontation, and a chase scene involving a Christmas tree on wheels. :D**

* * *

"She said what? And then what did he say?" Izzie was hiding in a corner of the hospital, curled into a little ball. Her voice was hushed. "Then what happened? WHAT? Well go find out!" she whispered loudly. "Okay. Fine. Talk to you later. Bye." 

"Are you supposed to be here?" asked Alex suddenly, making Izzie jump a foot in the air (painful if you're sitting down). She glared at him.

"I was talking to George. Meredith was right. Brianna's here and there's some kind of thing going on."

"And you don't know what's going on," Alex said, disappointed.

"At least you didn't ask what was going on. Addison and Lydia are talking in private right now."

* * *

Now that they were in private, Addison noticed Brianna's face recovering from its earlier joy. She didn't look angry, but disappointed and bored. She looked ready, like she had known that this was going to happen…whatever it was. 

"One of you tell me what's going on."

Neither spoke, so Brianna opened her mouth. That was enough for her mother to start talking.

"Paul and I are having problems."

"Marriage problems," said Brianna. "Not to mention that they both lost their jobs and we're not even sure if we're going to be able to keep our house. I guess I should be thankful because instead of screaming at each other every night and threatening for a divorce, my parents sit around worried and try to figure out ways to pay the bills."

Lydia glared at Brianna, who promptly shut her mouth.

"I didn't come here to ask for your help, Addi. All I need you to do is to help me out while Paul and I try to work things out."

Addison winced. She hated hearing couples say they would try to work things out. She herself had said it so many times the familiar words rang around in her head, and she felt nothing but an empty dread.

"What do you want me to do?" she sighed.

"It's not what she wants you to do, it's what I want you to do to help them," said Brianna.

"We still don't have to do this," said Lydia.

"We don't have a choice!" exclaimed Brianna. "None of this wouldn't have happened if both of you would have watched yourselves and your spending. I know how you hate charity. It's not charity. You are granting your daughter's wish. You can't handle me right now, you two."

"I hate asking for your help," said Lydia, looking at Addison with mournful eyes, "especially when you have done way more than you should have already. I just can't get it together."

Addison silently agreed, but didn't show it.

"I need you to take Brianna for the next month."

Addison opened her mouth to protest and Lydia rapidly shut it. "She's right. I can't take care of her, not now. I'm not asking for much. She takes care of herself and you guys have a bond…please Addi?"

Addison felt sorry for her older sister. She looked down at her. Despite the overwhelming urge she had to help her, there was one problem.

"Have you listened to me at all in the past month? I can't take care of anyone when I can't even take care of myself."

"I know you're going through a divorce, and I know that you're having…other problems," she said, letting her voice trail. "She's seen worse, believe me."

Brianna coughed loudly to hide her laughter.

"I think she can help you," finished Lydia.

"I'm living in a hotel," protested Addison, but her voice softened. "Fine. I'll do it. But that's only because you helped me through the last month."

"All I did was listen."

"Sometimes that's all you need."

* * *

"It's cleared," said Derek, taking his hands off the spinal cord. "If all goes well, this man will be able to walk by Thanksgiving." 

There was a general murmur of happiness in the room.

"Okay, let's close him up. Dr. Grey?"

"Right here," she said.

"Why don't you help me out?"

She moved in to start closing up the man's back.

"So, Thanksgiving…who are you inviting to your house?"

"It depends on who's working, but everyone will probably be able to come if they want to," she replied. She paused for a minute and changed her position.

"I wouldn't mind if you invited Addison."

Meredith finished and stepped back. "You wouldn't?"

"We're being civil."

Despite the weirdness of the situation, Meredith decided that this was a very good idea. Even if the idea of her boyfriend's ex wife coming over didn't seem as weird to her as it should have. "That's good. I'll invite her then. Should I invite Mc-Dr. Sloan?" she asked, catching herself just in time.

"Sure," said Derek absently. He took off his gloves and walked out of the room.

Meredith didn't know if she had heard right, but she decided to let him over anyway. He was her fellow-former Dirty Mistress buddy. You can't just turn him away for Thanksgiving.

* * *

Brianna walked into the cafeteria in the outside courtyard of the hospital. She sat down at a table and sighed. Addison had told her to go find some food and the interns while she finalized her paperwork and talked with her mom some more. Brianna was grateful beyond words. She was very tired. It wasn't enough for her to just go to school and then volunteer after school. She had to stay up every night worrying about her parents. They made it hard to ignore with their screaming matches that woke the neighbors. She was sick of covering for her parents. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by Alex, who walked by her table. He seemed to be pushing a Christmas tree around on wheels. Despite herself, Brianna laughed.

"Hey," said Alex. He parked the cart by her table and proceeded to sit down across from her. "How's it going?"

"My parents are having marriage and money problems, so I'm staying with Addison now."

"That sucks. How bad is it?"

"The money problems are manageable, but the marriage isn't going well."

"Marriage is a touchy subject around here."

"So I've heard," said Brianna. "I'll tell you everything that's happened in the last month if you tell me the same thing. Oh, and you have to tell me about the tree."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I have to text Izzie and the others or they'll kill me for not saying anything."

"I feel so loved," commented Brianna while Alex got out his phone to text. "At least tell me about the tree."

"I'm assigned to Mark Sloan. I want to be in plastics, but he's being a jerk and giving me slave jobs to do."

"I thought you were with Addison."

"That was a punishment."

"Oh, right…he asked you to get him a Christmas tree? Wait a minute! Did you just say Mark, Mark Sloan Mark?"

"Yes…"

"Crap!" exclaimed Brianna. "My mother's here. Come on!" She got up and sprinted from the table, Alex following close behind with the precious Christmas tree.

* * *

There are many sights that don't go unnoticed in the hospital. A redhead with a guy with a Christmas tree running behind her is one of those things. 

"Dr. Bailey," greeted Derek, as he got some coffee. "Why is Dr. Karev running around with a Christmas tree?"

Bailey looked up calmly.

"Run faster, Alex! Oh, this can't be good." said Brianna, excellently dodging some nurses.

"I'll say! Oh, but wait! I'm following you, remember?" Alex snapped sarcastically.

"It wasn't my brilliant idea to run with a tree!"

"Hey, my career rides on this thing!"

"Think about what you just said! Just think!"

Bailey turned back to Derek. "Oh, those two?" She shrugged and took another sip of coffee. Then she looked closer and turned around.

"Shame that you don't recognize your own niece."

"What?" said Derek. He ran out of the room.

"I hate Mondays," said Bailey, taking another slow sip.

* * *

Naturally, Mark had already found Lydia and Addison. Brianna came to a screeching halt, and Alex practically ran into her. 

Mark turned around and rolled his eyes. "Is there anything complicated about getting a Christmas tree? Let's see…no…so how did you manage to make it that way?

Alex sighed exasperatedly.

Addison cleared her throat.

"Karev, put the tree in my office. I'll tell you what to do with it later. Can you handle that?" asked Mark.

Alex wheeled the tree away.

Mark turned around. "Lydia."

Lydia sneered. "Mark." She started forward, but Addison grabbed her. "Not a good idea," she said, locking her sister's arms behind her back. "Here at this hospital, we coexist."

Lydia shrugged her sister off but didn't stop glaring.

"I need a consult," said Mark tiredly.

Addison looked at her sister and Brianna. "You two going to be okay?"

"Yeah," answered Lydia. "I'll just…go put our stuff in your room. Brianna, you stay here."

"I'll be there in a minute," Addison said. "I need to finish something up. Mark, watch Brianna for me, okay?"

"What?" said Mark.

"What?" said Brianna.

"Just. Do it," said Addison, and she walked off, but not before flashing Mark an evil smile.

"I don't do kids," said Mark, staring down at Brianna.

She had to bend her head pretty much all the way up to look at him. She could see now why people found him attractive: her mom, Addison, pretty much everyone.

"I don't do cocky players," she retorted, tilting her head to the side. "I'm not a kid either."

Mark seemed both taken aback and delighted. "You're just like your aunt, aren't you?"

"I would hope so," said Brianna. "Of course, your whole McSteamy thing doesn't work on me."

"When was the last time I saw you?"

"I think it involved my mom throwing anything she could get her hands on at you."

"Right…you were like two. How do you remember that?"

"Some things stick," said Brianna.

They sat there in silence for a while. Then she spoke again. "So you picked Addison?"

"Yeah. So what?"

"And then she dumped you?"

"She did not dump me."

"I'm staying here for Thanksgiving."

"What?"

"And Christmas."

Mark winced. "Why?"

"I'll let my mother decide if she wants to tell you or not. I personally don't care. Go ask them."

"That might be difficult."

"Why?"

"Neither of them really want to speak to me right now."

They sat there in more silence. Then Brianna opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Mark cut her off.

"Do you ever shut up?"

Brianna looked up at him, crossed her arms, and looked to the side.

"I cannot BELIEVE that you were almost my uncle."

They shuddered.

* * *

**I have a very special plan for that Christmas tree too!!! Just keep pushing the button and all will be happy and joyful. :D**


	4. Sleighbells Ring

**Ah, the calm before the storm. You'll get some serious cage-fighting action in the next chapter. Enjoy!!! And thanks for the reviews! The button tells me that she is very happy! (Yeah, it's a girl by the way)**

**Disclaimer: bows to Shonda**

* * *

"BRIANNA!!!" Izzie hugged the girl. "How are you?"

"I'm managing," she responded. "What about you? Are you alright?" She had gotten a total breakdown of prom from Alex and Mark's points of view. Miss four months of this place and you've missed everything.

"I'm…managing," said Izzie. "Hopefully I'll be alright soon."

Brianna noticed how the interns had changed, even in their body language. They clustered close around Izzie, especially Alex. Christina hung back, keeping distance between her and the others, but still staying close enough to keep an eye on them. George distanced himself away from Christina, while Meredith was always beside her. Which reminded Brianna…

"Where's Meredith?"

The interns looked at each other. "Surgery," said George. The way they were acting was strange, and she didn't know why. Instead of asking, she turned to Christina.

"Hey," she said. "You haven't said anything."

Christina looked up. "What? Oh, I'm just thinking. It's been pretty messed up."

"You're not the only one," said Brianna. That was that for that issue. The girl deserved some peace.

"We have to go," said Izzie, "but we are so talking later, got it?"

Brianna smiled back. "I missed you guys."

A chorus of yeahs answered her before they turned around and walked away.

Meredith turned the corner. "Brianna," she said, startled.

"Meredith," said Brianna.

They stood there in the hallway, neither knowing what they were going to do.

* * *

Mark and Addison, meanwhile, were in surgery.

"Good God, what happened to her?" asked Mark, looking at the considerable amount of damage on her body.

"We don't know," answered Addison.

"How do you not know?"

"She came in here like this," said Addison. "I just have to get her baby out of there."

"How long…"

"Four months," said Addison tiredly. "It's such a shame."

"So…what's Lydia doing in town with her daughter?" Mark spoke quietly so that no one else could hear.

"Marriage and financial problems," said Addison. "She's going to stay with me until they straighten them out."

"Who's Brianna's father?"

"You should know."

"I didn't know anything. All I knew is that you got pregnant somehow, and you wouldn't tell me who it was, when it turns out that you're carrying my girlfriend's child that she and one of her boyfriends had. Oh, and you also didn't tell me that he left her in the middle of your pregnancy, or that my girlfriend was your sister!" His voice was harsh, but a whisper.

"What was I supposed to do, Mark? I kept her secret. You were the only one who even knew I was pregnant besides Paul and Lydia."

"Paul?"

"Yes, it's Paul."

"I don't believe this."

"I don't believe you. Apparently you stayed with her and put this idea in her head that you were the one. Sound familiar? Then you up and left over some excuse over me? I'm done," she announced. A couple of nurses took over and took the patient away while Addison laid the baby down and readied her for the NICU. Most of the people in the OR were gone, so Mark came up right behind Addison.

"You know, you leaving her took her away from me," she whispered angrily.

"What was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know Mark, be a man?" Addison finished the baby and went to take off her surgical garments. Mark followed suit. They went to the sinks to wash their hands. "You could have just told her that it wasn't working out instead of making up a lie! Granted, you didn't know who she was to me, but you took my sister away for more than a decade! You are always looking out for yourself!" She reached up instinctively for the rings on her scrubs but snapped her hand down, remembering that she didn't wear them anymore. They stepped out into the hallway.

"Lydia's staying for Thanksgiving," Addison informed him, knowing it would piss him off.

"What? No! That's four days!"

"I'm sorry, I would never want to inconvenience you, Mark," said Addison sarcastically. "It's my family. She's staying." She began to walk down the hallway away from Mark.

"Addison."

"What?!" she snapped, still walking. Under her breath, she muttered, "I should have let her kick your ass."

"I heard that."

"So?"

"So what if I meant what I said to her?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, still walking, though at a slower pace now.

"What if I left Lydia because I really was in love with my best friend's girl?"

Addison whirled around, but Mark was already gone. Her pager went off. She sighed and headed for the Chief's office.

* * *

Brianna spoke first. "I've been looking all over for you." Of all the interns, Meredith had been Brianna's favorite. She had been the one she was first assigned to as her day as a volunteer and the one who she felt understood her the best.

"Oh," said Meredith. "I wondered if you even wanted to see me again."

"You're talking about prom," said the petite redhead.

"If you didn't know already, you would find out when you walked through the doors of the hospital."

"I'm not stupid," said Brianna. "Even in the summer I knew it wasn't going to last. Besides," she said, walking toward Meredith. "I knew you long enough to know that you're not that kind of person."

Meredith nodded.

"So, is my uncle hiding from me too?" asked Brianna. "Where's Derek?"

"I have no idea," said Meredith.

"Okay, well, I'll see you later," said Brianna. She went off to look for Derek. In the distance, a pager sounded. Meredith looked down and headed for the Chief's office.

* * *

Addison politely knocked on the Chief's door.

"Come in."

Addison opened the doors, walked over, sat across the desk, and crossed her legs. "You paged?"

"Yes," the Chief said, smiling. "I have your bill."

"What?"

"We discussed a price for the day off."

"Seriously?"

He went on. "I know that Black Friday is like surgery. It's competitive and it keeps you in shape. You have to be on your toes. That's probably why you're so good at it."

Addison raised an eybrow. "Flattery, Richard? Come on, spit it out. What do I have to do?"

"I'd like you to teach on your time off."

At that second, three interns – all girls – entered the room: Meredith, Izzie, and another intern who wasn't assigned to Bailey. Addison turned around.

"You can't be serious."

"I am, Addi. This could be a great learning experience!"

"When you asked me which of the interns would be the best for shopping advice, I thought you needed an opinion for something for Adele."

"No, I asked that a long time ago so that just in case anything like this came up, I'd be ready."

"Excuse me," interrupted Meredith. "With all due respect, what are you talking about?"

"Chief Webber here," said Addison, turning around with one of her best Satan-faces, "thinks that it would be highly beneficial to take you girls Black Friday shopping with me all day tomorrow."

The unknown intern opened her mouth. "Tomorrow I was assigned to Dr. Haan! I've never been in open heart surgery…" She trailed off. Meredith had squeezed her arm.

"Black Friday as in shopper attack day?" asked Izzie.

Addison nodded.

"Oh, hell no."

* * *

"Let me get this straight," laughed Alex two days later. It was Wednesday and Thanksgiving was the next day. "You two have to go shopping with Dr. Montgomery?"

"I'm going to take bets on this one," said Christina.

"Sign me up," said Alex, forgetting about their feud for a while.

"Don't look her in the eyes," advised George to the unknown intern, who looked terrified. She was of average height, but Bailey's interns were all pretty tall people. She had curly brown hair that was clipped back into a bun.

"Oh, stop," said Izzie. "It won't be that bad. What's your name anyway?"

"Jonah," said the girl uncomfortably.

"Says the girl who was her personal intern for like 2 months," said Christina.

"Teacher's pet," teased Alex.

"McSteamy's slave," countered Christina.

"Some things never change," commented Brianna, walking into the room. "I just did coffee runs." She had returned to her volunteer duties in order to stay at the hospital during the day. "Do you want me to organize a pizza thing for lunch?"

"Please do," said Meredith. "The crappy food here is extra crappy this week."

"Got it," said Brianna. "Wait, so which ones of you are going shopping with my mom and me tomorrow?"

"All three Montgomery's?" said Christina. "That's it. Stakes doubled."

"I'm in," said Alex. "That many redheads in a room is just scary. Redheads fighting, now that's hot. Not you, Brianna!" he exclaimed when she shot him a look of disgust.

"Hey, Mer," said George. "When you come in here with a fractured skull, can I scrub in?"

"What?" asked Meredith, horrified. "Yeah…sure. George, you're officially in charge of Thanksgiving now…make us proud." She patted him on the shoulder before she and Izzie got up to leave.

"What?" asked George. "I don't even know how to make a turkey! I just shoot them!"

* * *

"Derek," said Brianna. "Hey!"

"Hey," said Derek. "How are you?"

"I've been looking for you."

"I've been avoiding you."

"I don't hold it against you."

Derek nodded. "Do you want to leave it at that?"

"Yes. I'll find out the rest later."

"Good to see you, Brianna," said Derek, hugging her then turning to leave.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Oh, well I just wanted to say that it was really nice of you to invite Mark and everything, but you do realize you've probably started World War III, right?"

"Welcome to Thanksgiving at Seattle Grace," said Derek.

* * *

**Button's waiting over there! points**


	5. Gotta Love the Competition, Part 1

**A/N: Thanksgiving first, then Black Friday. In the meantime, I'll tell you what happens to that precious Christmas tree. Merry Christmas Eve Eve!!! And Happy Holidays! May God bless you and your families and friends!!!**

**- Sparkle**

**Disclaimer: Seriously, nothing's changed! Still don't own them!!! **

* * *

Izzie had moved into Meredith's room with her stuff and the two were sitting in front of all three very serious Montgomery's. Jonah had piled her hair on top of her head and looked a little uncomfortable. She'd never been in Meredith Grey's house before.

"Addison, remind me again why you're spending the night at my house?" asked Meredith.

"Because, Meredith, it's faster if we all leave from the same place and I don't think all of us will fit in my hotel room, not to mention that it would be extremely weird."

"Staying here with your ex-husband isn't weird?" piped up Brianna.

"Would it be weirder to know that Dr. Torres, the Chief, and Mark were staying on the same floor?"

Brianna smiled in the silence. Addison moved on. "Okay, here's the plan." She poured the Thursday newspaper in front of the girls. "We are pouring through these. We circle everything we want. Once we have those, we map out the stores and figure out how we attack. Do we get there early or a little later? If we get there later we might have to run some people down. Brianna can fill you in on that."

The three interns looked at the petite girl, surprised. "She's stronger than she looks," said Lydia.

"Oh yes, Lydi, that's something else I need to talk to you about. Would you mind coming with us?"

"I have to go back home soon," she said. "That's the plan."

"One more day?" asked Addison. "Remember how we did this every year? It was so much fun."

Lydia smiled. "Okay," she said. "You could probably use me anyway. I'm going to help with the dinner. It's the least I can do," she said before heading downstairs.

"We'd better all start helping. Let's go watch the parade," said Addison.

The girls just stared. "Hey, I like Thanksgiving," said Addison, as explanation.

"We can see that," giggled Izzie, before picking up the papers and following her. Jonah followed. Meredith got out the room as Derek came out of the bathroom.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Meredith answered. "This looks fun yet extremely weird."

"I'm sorry it's so weird for you. If it makes you feel any better, she really does know what she's doing, and I highly doubt it's going to be anything but business."

"I'm a little scared, actually."

"Me too," said Derek. "I'm letting you out with my ex-wife and her family. I hope one of your friends who are working doesn't end up sewing up something."

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself," said Meredith, leaning in to place a quick kiss on his lips. "Let's go downstairs."

* * *

"So George, Christina, Alex, and Callie are working today?" asked Izzie.

"Yeah, and I think that Bailey's going in for a few hours before going home. I invited her, but she said that she'd rather spend Thanksgiving with her family," answered Meredith. "I think that it's cute that she spends time with her kid."

"Better not let her hear you say that," said Jonah. Everyone jumped. It was easy to forget she was there. She didn't seem to mind.

"Are you girls finished yet?" asked Addison. "I haven't looked too closely, but it looks like we're going to have to hit Wal-Mart at dawn, then Target. We might do small drug stores after that before we hit the mall. The mall shouldn't be too hard. Most people can't afford what we're going to buy. We're surgeons," she reminded them. "We can pretty much get whatever we want. If you can't afford it, I can."

"This is going to be the best Thanksgiving ever," whispered Izzie. "How often does your friend's boyfriend's ex-wife who also happens to be your boss buy you stuff?"

* * *

A few hours later, the girls were sprawled all over the living room floor with maps of stores.

"How do you get these?" asked Meredith. "You just moved here, like, a few months ago."

"I know people who know people," Addison dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Meredith, you're pretty small. You and Jonah can take the small spaces with Brianna. That means that if there's a crowd, you're down on your hands and knees trying to get through. Be careful for kicks. You're going to have to be quick and sneaky."

"Okay," said Meredith. At this moment, Derek ran down the stairs and saw all six girls in the living room in Twister-like positions as they tried to crawl over each other to look at the presents.

"Yeah…I'm going to go check on Mr. Hollinger," said Derek. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Okay," said Meredith. "Tell him I said happy Thanksgiving and that I'm so glad he's getting discharged today. Oh, and if you see Christina make sure she knows that she's invited."

"Alright, see you later!" said Derek. "Izzie, Jonah, Lydi, Brianna, Addison."

"Bye Derek," they chorused absently. The minute the door closed Meredith and Izzie shook with laughter. "It's like trying to watch a fish out of water!" said Izzie.

Addison looked up. "Are you two done yet?"

Rule of Surgery: Always be prepared.

"Yes," they chorused, handing over their papers with various things circled. As they handed them over, there was a knock on the door. Meredith opened it to reveal Burke.

"Hey," she said, somewhat awkwardly.

"Hi," he said, stepping into her house, taking off his coat, and hanging it in one fluid motion. "How are you, Meredith?"

"I'm fine," she said.

"I just wanted to check on dinner," he said. "See how well Izzie's doing this year. I'll leave if you want."

"No," said Meredith. "It's perfectly fine. Come on," she led him to the kitchen. Izzie got up and followed.

"Addison, Jonah, Lydia, Brianna," said Burke.

"Burke," they all greeted, with the exception of Addison who said, "Prestion."

"We sound like a chorus," commented Jonah, handing her circled paper to Addison.

"Good job, Izzie," said Burke. "Everything's perfect." Izzie looked as if she was about to burst with pride. "Thank you, Dr. Burke."

"Christina should be here…"

He was interrupted by the slamming of the front door. "Hey Meredith!" came the familiar voice. It quickly halted as she moved into the living room. Then the sound of running feet were heard coming to the kitchen.

"Meredith, there are three redheads in your living room."

"Yes, there are."

"What the heck is that?"

"We have to plan for the shopping trip tomorrow."

"Oh, this is priceless," laughed Christina. "Can I take a picture?"

"Be my guest."

"And tomorrow, you have to tell me everything."

Meredith just hugged her.

"You're touching me."

"I'm sorry," Meredith said, but Christina grabbed her and hugged her again.

"So, this shopping thing, can I help?" Christina asked.

* * *

"So…" said Derek, later at dinner. "How's the plan going?"

"We attack at dawn," replied Addison between mouthfulls of ham.

"Before dawn," said Lydia.

"So, Lydia," said Jonah, barely eating because she felt so weird having Thanksgiving dinner with almost-strangers, "your shortened name. You take the "a" off, so it's like Addi, but it's Lydi?"

"It's pronounced 'lie-dee'," she replied.

Brianna looked up. "By the way, never call me Bree. Only a few people call me that."

Just then the door opened. George, Callie, and Alex came trouping in.

"Hey," they greeted.

"Sorry I'm late again," said Alex, more to Izzie than anything else. "I had the weirdest day."

"Oh? What happened?" asked Izzie.

"Yes, what did Sloan make you do today?" asked Addison. Alex jumped slightly at the sight of her, and everyone else.

"Wow, our table certainly has grown," he commented. "I'll tell you later, Iz."

Derek put down his fork and got a very strange look on his face. It was more of submission than everything else. He was submitting to the total, complete, and utter weirdness of the situation.

After dinner, it was like no grudges existed. Everyone helped each other clean up. Callie told Izzie that her surgeries had gone smoothly and that the woman with the hip and knee was able to visit her family today. Callie had slipped her food from the doctors' Thanksgiving dinner.

* * *

In the living room, Izzie immediately found Alex. "Let's go sit on the porch," she suggested, and you can tell me exactly what happened today.

"Okay," he replied, "but you're going to laugh." They settled on the porch with sweaters. It was cold.

"_Karev, remember the tree you put in my office?"_

"_Yes."_

"_I need you to take it to a hotel room. Here's the key card," he said. "Oh, and here's my keys. Don't do anything stupid. I'd rip your head off. It's not like I haven't done it to someone before."_

"_Got it," said Alex. Looking at the key card, he said," Dr. Sloan, this isn't your room. It's not the same one I used last time."_

"_No questions, Karev. Put the tree in and decorate it decently. When you're done, call me."_

_Alex dragged the tree to the car. This was a little overboard, but the fact that he was delivering trees to rooms that were not his peaked Alex's interest, so he decided to do it rather than chuck the tree on the side of the highway and say he had put it up while he really just went to Starbucks or something._

_The elevator ride took forever. He hoped that he would someday have enough money to stay in a place like this indefinitely and not have to worry about the price._

_He made his way to the room and opened it. The key worked. He set the tree up nicely and then quickly glanced around to see what exactly was in this mystery room. It had been cleaned recently, so it was neat as a pin. The items in the bathroom were undoubtedly chick items, so it had to be a girl's room. That still left a lot of possibilities. Silently praying that this wouldn't come back to bite him, he searched through the drawers carefully, not moving anything. The lingerie drawer was full of tiny, lacy pieces. The closet was 75 percent skirts and blouses. Alex immediately closed everything up and called Mark._

"_Sloan."_

"_The tree's up."_

"_Thank you. I'll be over to decorate it soon. Come back to work."_

"_I have one question."_

"_Spit it out."_

"_Why am I standing in Addison Montgomery's hotel room?"_

"Oh, heck no," whispered Izzie.

"Yes," said Alex. "Now listen, you can tell Brianna and Meredith, but that's it. Don't let it leave."

"Can Meredith tell Christina?"

"She won't care…yeah, I guess."

"Wow," said Izzie, leaning back on the post on the porch. "This is going to be one heck of a Christmas too."

* * *

**The button hasn't been pushed in a while. Which is partially my fault. Don't let her be lonely!!!**


	6. Gotta Love the Competition, Part 2

**Ah, the long awaited for Black Friday chapter...after this I can work on Christmas...enjoy! And don't forget to push Lucky Bear! Yes, I named the button!!!

* * *

Meredith had set her alarm to 3 o'clock. It was like she was going to work. At the sound of the beeping, Derek groaned while Meredith searched for the alarm. Where the heck was that stupid thing?**

"What time is it?" he muttered from under his pillow.

"Three," answered Meredith. "Found it!" The alarm had fallen on the floor. Now how the heck could it have gotten there? She leaned over the side of the bed to get it.

"Too early," muttered Derek, half conscious. "I'm not working today. It's too early. Make it stop. Thank you," he said, as Meredith switched the alarm off.

"Um," said Meredith sleepily, rolling over to Derek. "I have to get up and shop with the crazy people now."

Derek opened one eye. "Good luck with that," he said.

"MEREDITH! IZZIE! JONAH!" yelled Addison. "I hope you're up! God help me, I will come and get you out of bed!"

Meredith looked down at Derek and kissed him. "Time to go," she said. He pulled her closer and turned the quick kiss into a rather long one. Meredith glared. "You dog," she said, giggling. Then she hopped off the bed. "See you later!"

"Yeah," said Derek, rolling over. "I love you," he muttered into his pillow.

* * *

Izzie was already in the shower. Jonah was already getting dressed. Brianna came into the bathroom with a towel in her hair. She had slept in her clothes. When she undid her towel, her dry hair tumbled out in random waves.

"Oh, that was smart," said Izzie enviously, walking over wrapped in towels. "I should have thought of that." She proceeded to brush her teeth.

"Well, it's kind of pointless," said Brianna, putting her hair up into a wild ponytail. "They grab your hair, you know."

"You can do that whenever you want," Izzie pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess I can," said Brianna, patting her hair. "I love my hair."

"With good reason," said Meredith. She was finished with her shower and was toweling her hair off in her jeans.

Just then, Lydia appeared in the doorway. "You girls ready?" she asked. "Don't forget to wear comfortable shoes."

"Addi doesn't wear comfortable shoes," complained Brianna, already taking off her ballet flats.

"Addi's special," answered Lydia, casting a sidelong glance at Addison, tapping her heels impatiently by the stairs. The girls hurried out of the bathroom and down the stairs, grabbing their purses and jackets. "Oh, good, you're here," she said approvingly. She was dressed in a green knit off-the-shoulder sweater and jeans. "We can go."

On the way to the car, Izzie turned to Meredith. "Have you ever seen her in jeans?"

"No," said Meredith, after a minute of hesitation. "I can honestly say that I have not."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, all six girls were standing in front of the mall.

"I thought we were going to Wal-Mart," said Jonah, teeth chattering in spite of her long brown trenchcoat.

"I thought about that," said Addison, "but I realized it wasn't worth it. This is. Everyone got their lists?"

Everyone held up their pieces of paper.

"Okay," said Addison. She, like the three interns, was getting her surgery face on. "Get in, get what you need, get out. We use our powers for good, but if you want it, you might have to fight for it. If you need help, call out. We'll hear you. Don't hurt anyone unless it's absolutely necessary. Pay and go. Got it?"

"Got it," everyone chorused.

"Let's go," she said, as a fearful looking salesperson unlocked the door and ran for his life. There would be no other people working other than cashiers. They were all hiding in fear.

They hadn't planned on running but the crowd of people pushed so hard that you had to run to stay upright. "Right!" Addison hollered, and the girls sprinted. "I hope you've been working out," she said, jogging next to Brianna.

"Are you kidding?" she asked, pulling ahead of the group.

"I jog a little," shrugged Meredith, breathing lightly.

"I've been shadowing for the last month," said Izzie, keeping the pace. "If that's not a workout, then I don't know what is."

"Same," said Jonah, speeding down the hallway. Once they got into the store, they split. They were the first ones, so it was rather easy. They hurried to the cashiers, panting. The cashiers seemed to know what they were doing; they checked out at a miraculous pace.

"Next!" Addison yelled.

All went well for the first three stores. They were very successful. The fourth store, however, was a toy store.

"This is going to be the hardest one," said Lydia, eyes narrowed. "Ready?" They charged the store, armed with bags. In the toy store, all barriers were down. Two women shrieked as they fought over some kind of stuffed animal.

"You're going to break it!" shrieked Brianna, running to the two. Confused, they stopped and looked for the voice. That was their mistake. Brianna had the stuffed animal (it was a tiger) before they knew what hit them. She ran to the back of the store so they couldn't find her.

Jonah darted into a large pile of value toys that had all been thrown on the floor.

"Iz!" yelled Meredith. "I need a lift!" She was jumping for something on the top shelf. Izzie came over and Meredith hopped on her back. Izzie grabbed a shelf while Meredith basically used Izzie as a ladder to get the item on top.

"Sorry, Iz," Meredith said, jumping down.

"It's only bruises," shrugged Izzie, running on.

Lydia barreled through the back and had grabbed a number of Barbies when she heard her daughter yell. She came to the back and saw that the two women had caught up to her and were getting dangerously close to running her down.

"Whoa!" she yelled, running closer to the chase scene, jumping over bouncy balls that littered the floor. "I'm sure there's another one!"

"You're going down!" yelled one of them. As they ran by an aisle of candy makers, Lydia lunged in and grabbed Addison. "I could use some help," she said. "You take the tall one, and I'll take the one with the blanket."

Wordlessly the women ran in closer. When one of the women started to jump, Lydia hopped on her back. "Oh, no, you don't," she said. "That's my daughter."

Brianna turned around for a second. "Go!" yelled Addison. "We got them!"

Brianna made for a register while the sisters wrestled with their opponents. Lydia successfully got hers into a headlock while Addison wasn't fairing too well. She was on the floor on her back while the other woman was trying to keep her down with a light saber. Addison reached around desperately until she got a hold of a small bouncy ball. She popped the woman in the head, confusing her enough to get up and run away.

"Time to go!" she said, heading for a register.

That, unfortunately, was not the case on the other side of the store. "You tripped me!" yelled some blond girl, who was catfighting with Meredith. "Bring it on! Do you want to mess with me?"

Meredith shoved her back. "Seriously?" she shrieked. "I was cornered by Callie TORRES. Now that is something to be scared of, but you? Seriously!" she yelled, shoving her against a shelf so other things fell down around them. "Do you honestly think that I have any problem…"

"Kicking your sorry white trash butt?" finished Izzie, on the other side of the shelf. "Do you think that I want to be hurting you? Go away and for the last time, I had it first! Get your own!" she yelled, holding the iHome in her hands."

A few minutes later, the girls had come out from behind the shelves. "You good?" asked Izzie, pushing her very messy hair out of her face.

"I'm fine," answered Meredith, yanking her hair back into its ponytail. "Ah!" she fell over.

"Sorry," said Jonah sheepishly. "I can't tell whose legs are whose." She, however, held a bedding set victoriously in her hands.

"Okay…" said Addison outside the store. It was about two hours later and she was bent over, pulling her hair back into a bun. "How is everyone?"

"Sore," answered Meredith, rubbing her back. "That lady with the cart got me pretty hard."

Addison came over and pulled up the back of her sweatshirt. She could see the beginnings of a large bruise. "We have everything here already, right?"

"We're finished," said Lydia. "We even have a couple of things that we didn't need."

"Good," said Addison. "Let's get you guys home."

"I'm bleeding," said Brianna. She showed them her arm.

"Let's go," said Jonah, wincing as she straightened from her sitting position. Her knees hurt. She grabbed Brianna.

"Good work, people," Addison said on the way to the car.

Everyone laughed, then winced.

* * *

**Press Lucky Bear!!!**


	7. Pain, Gossip, and a Christmas Surprise

**A/N: I hope you guys like this! I really did. It's a little short, but I'll update more later. I just have to think a few more things through. The next chapter is probably going to make this PG-13 worthy...I'll leave it at that!!!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned them, I would not be going to water torture (i.e. swim practice) right now; I'd totally have a personal trainer like everyone else!!!**

**Pain, Gossip, and a Christmas Surprise**

* * *

"Karev," said Mark, walking toward him quickly. "I'm off today, so your ass is officially saved. Go play in the pit, would you? Oh, and thanks for the help." He hurried off.

George came up next to Alex. "Where's he going in such a hurry?"

"Probably to decorate Addison's hotel room," shrugged Alex.

"WHAT?" asked George.

"Oh, gossip?" asked Callie, moving into the group. "I love gossip." She eyed George. "No matter who it's coming from."

Alex looked at Callie, then decided he didn't care. "Sloan's decorating Addison's hotel room for Christmas. Christmas tree and everything."

"That's good for her," said Callie.

"I'd kill to be there when she finds it," said George.

* * *

"What happened?" asked Derek as Addison practically carried Meredith into the house.

In reply, Addison put Meredith down on the couch and pulled up the back of her sweatshirt.

"Oh, crap," said Derek, bending down to look at the bruise.

"She got me with a shopping cart," said Meredith. "Oh, I can't move. Ow."

"Would you take care of her?" asked Addison. "I need to take Brianna home soon and I have to take her mom to the airport. Izzie's giving Jonah a ride to the hospital."

Derek nodded, looking down at Meredith who was trying to pull herself up. "Oh, no. You're not going anywhere."

"Thanks," said Addison. "Meredith, you okay?"

"I will be," she said.

Addison hurried out the door as Izzie and Jonah walked in. Jonah was nursing some very bruised hands that were beginning to swell while Izzie tried to stretch her neck out.

"Hey," said Izzie, looking down at Meredith.

"At least you didn't pass out," said Jonah. "Some lady was knocked out. She almost fell on top of me, but thankfully…" She showed them her hands. "She only stepped on my fingers.

"We're going to need ice for you," said Izzie, heading to the kitchen. "Mer, where do you keep the eye-packs?"

"Freezer," answered Meredith. She gingerly touched her back and winced at the pain.

"You know what makes a bruise better," said Derek.

"You have to massage it," said Meredith through gritted teeth. She reached back and pressed down on her side, moving her fingers in a circle. "Help me out, would you?"

Derek sighed and pressed down on her back. Meredith didn't make a sound but her face was contorted in pain. "I get ice, right?"

"In about an hour," said Derek.

"Ow."

* * *

"Wow, Jonah," said Izzie, holding out the glass of ice water. "You're lucky you didn't break your fingers."

"So they're not broken?" asked Jonah. "Ow. Are you okay?" Izzie kept rubbing her neck.

"Meredith dug her feet into my back. No, I'm not okay."

"Sorry, Izzie!" yelled Meredith from the living room.

"It's fine!" Izzie yelled back. "You think you'll manage with the water?" she asked.

"I'll be fine," answered Jonah. "You'd better get me back to work. Thanks, by the way!" she called out so both girls would hear her.

"You're welcome!" they answered as Izzie let Jonah and herself out the front door.

* * *

"Thanks for the shopping, Addi," said Lydia, taking her bags out of the trunk. "I appreciate it. I feel much better."

"You just concentrate on making things right," said Addison, hugging her sister.

"You be good to your aunt," said Lydia, hugging Brianna. "I'll try to be back before New Year's."

"I love you, Mom," said Brianna. "Say hi to Dad for me."

"Bye!!!" they chorused. There was silence after Lydia walked into the airport.

"Let me see your arm," said Addison finally. Brianna held it out for her. "That's pretty deep. What happened?"

"Evil lady with the blanket decided that it would be a good idea to run past me with her shopping cart," said Brianna. "I ran into a shelf. I didn't know it was bleeding this much."

Addison sighed. "You're not going to need stitches. Butterfly strips, probably. I think I have some in my room. You have all your stuff?"

"I'm ready to move in," smiled Brianna.

"Keep the tissue on it," ordered Addison. "It's not that long of a drive."

* * *

Mark had just finished hanging up a Christmas wreath when he got a phone call.

"Sloan," he answered.

"I thought you just wanted to know that Dr. Stevens is here. They're all back. So if you're in her room, I suggest you get out before she beats you up," said Alex.

"Karev, is that you?"

"I was just suggesting," said Alex. Giggles, three in particular, sounding much like George, Callie, and Christina (who had joined the group when she'd beat the truth out of George), resounded in the background. Alex hung up.

Mark sprinted out of the room. No sooner had his door closed when Addison and Brianna stepped out of the elevator.

"I have an extra card, but I don't know what happened to it," said Addison to Brianna. "I'll get you a new one as soon as I can. There's no way you're going to want to hang around me all day."

Brianna nodded. Of course, she loved hanging around the hospital but she didn't say anything. Addison handed her the key and she opened the door.

"Wow," said Brianna. "I love your room!" It looked like a winter wonderland. Izzie would have been proud.

"Yeah, it's nice, isn't it?" said Addison, straightening from untangling the luggage. That's when she saw the room. "Oh my…"

"You mean you didn't do this?" asked Brianna, touching the Christmas tree that sparkled with every glittery ornament imaginable.

"No," said Addison. "Who did?"

Brianna looked around the room and smirked. She had a very good idea about who did this. It involved a person who would make an intern run around with a Christmas tree.

"I…have no idea," she said innocently. _Oh, Mark's going down.

* * *

_

**squeals Tell me what you think of the name for the button! And don't forget to make her happy! Lucky Bear is actually the nickname of my new second cousin...he's only a month old...soooo cute!!!**


	8. Call Me Bree

**Sorry for the delay! I don't do much for the plot here, but it's 12:30 and I have to go to swim practice tomorrow at 7, so it's the best I can do. Hope you like it! And I'll do more plot tomorrow, I hope. Enjoy!**

**Oh, and I saw the Grey's promo for Jan. 11. Can I just say HOLY CRAP? OMG!!!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned them, I would not be freaking out over that promo! I would know what was going to happen!!!**

* * *

Brianna had to find out what was going on. She went to the source. Alex was first. Brianna wordlessly grabbed his arm and pulled him into a closet.

Alex looked at her. "This had better not be what I think it is," he said, scooting away from her.

"Pervert," snapped Brianna. "You had the tree. The same tree was in our hotel room last night. Explain." Saying 'our hotel room' was pretty strange, but that was the way things would go for right now.

"You can't tell Addison."

"Please," said Brianna. "If I told her half of the things going on around here I'm pretty sure I would be dead. Your nurses have their own hit squad or something. I don't squeal."

"Fine. Sloan did it."

"I knew that," Brianna said impatiently. "I want to know how and why."

"I'm pretty sure he stole her key card. I just put up the tree. I have no idea what else he did in there. I just know that he had yesterday off and we called him to warn him that she was coming."

"Who's we?"

"Yang, Torres, O'Malley, and I."

"Who else knows?"

"Izzie. I'm not so sure that Meredith knows yet. I heard that she's got a bruise the size of a doormat covering her side."

Brianna nodded. "Yeah. It's her right side. But…why would he do this for her?"

"I'd try and find out but I know better than that," said Alex. "Go ask him yourself."

"Maybe I will," said Brianna thoughtfully.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" asked Derek.

"I'm freezing," answered Meredith. "I have ice packs all over my right side. I haven't slept all night. Other than that, I'm just bright and shiny."

"We can take them off in an hour," said Derek. "Then we can get the hot packs."

Meredith got up slowly from the couch, still holding the ice against her side and went to the bathroom. She peeled it off slowly.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed from in the bathroom.

Derek came in behind her to see the spot looking extremely black, blue, and red.

"I have to work," she groaned.

"Can you work?" he asked, pulling the side of her sweatpants down a little to see the end of the bruise. "Can you even move?"

Meredith rolled her shoulder and winced. "I'll manage," she said finally. "I have to meet with the Chief at 8. We have to discuss what happened yesterday or something."

"I could kiss it and make it better," he said, grinning.

"You are not touching me!" said Meredith, putting her hand over (but not touching) her side. She sighed, looking in the mirror again. "There's no way I'm putting on jeans. Sweatpants it is. I look so unprofessional."

"You look fine," Derek reassured her. "Now hurry up or you'll be late."

"When do you get in?"

"At nine," he smiled.

"I hate you," she said, grabbing another cup of coffee.

Derek handed her jacket to her and let her out the front door. "No, you don't," he said, kissing her quickly.

She glared at him before walking off. "I'll see you in an hour!" Just then, her cell phone went off. She opened it, seeing a text from…Brianna? "Holy crap," she whispered, reading the message.

* * *

"Ah," said Bailey, looking at the board. It was full of simple surgeries that didn't need interns. "It's a you-know-what, so go down into the pit and stay out of people's way."

"What's that…ow!" Christina kicked George. "Don't say it," she warned. "Remember what happened last time we said the "q" word?"

George shot her a dirty look before stalking off. A few minutes later he was stitching up someone who had cut their finger with a new set of knives.

Meredith walked into the hospital quickly, but with an expression of pain was on her face. Bailey saw her.

"Let me see the bruise," she commanded.

Meredith pulled her shirt up. "Whoa," said Christina. "And what was this shopping thing called again?"

"Black Friday," answered Meredith, wincing as Bailey poked her back.

"It should be called Black and Blue Friday," said Bailey. "Go get a heat pack on your way to the Chief's office. People running people down with carts over a sale…idiots, all of them," she muttered. "Stevens, that means you too."

"I need a massage," she said, rolling her neck. Meredith grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"You need to tell me why McSteamy is decorating Addison's room."

* * *

"Hey," said Mark to Addison when he saw her in the hallway.

"Hey," she said, feeling a little taken aback from what had been done to her room. It was so perfect that she was still having trouble believing it was real.

"Was that a friendly comment coming from Addison Montgomery?" asked Mark, feigning shock.

"Shut up," said Addison. "It's just that…well, I…just…ugh, never mind."

Mark merely nodded and watched her walk away with a grin on his face. When he turned around, he saw a petite yet very fiery looking redhead glaring at him. "You're so busted," she laughed.

* * *

"So, how did it go?" asked the Chief, staring at four very tired looking women.

Jonah spoke up first. "It was the most brutal thing I've ever seen, sir," she said. She held out her hands. "I don't think I've ever seen anything more damaging."

The Chief winced slightly at her surgery hands. He looked at Izzie next.

"It's very hardcore," she nodded. "They were like animals. I became a human ladder. Though for the first time, I'm not upset that I grew up in a trailer park. It definitely came in handy."

The Chief looked at Meredith, but Addison spoke up. "Dr. Grey here has probably suffered the most damage." Meredith showed him her bruise. "It was a shopping cart," she offered as an explanation.

Addison spoke up again. "I've never seen such great teamwork or survival skills from other people than my family. I'd be proud, if I was them."

The Chief nodded. "It's a good opportunity to learn from Dr. Montgomery," he said. "You may go. And please take care of your wounds."

This resulted in laughter from everyone, as a little bit of shopping had turned into more of a large catfight. As soon as they left his office, Addison looked at him.

"I hope you feel good about yourself for punishing me. You have three injured interns, one of whom can barely walk."

The Chief looked at her somberly. "I apologize, Addison," he said. "Though I'm sure that you found it fun."

She cracked a smile. "I'm not so sure if they did," she answered. "The battle draws me."

"I know," he answered. It was a dismissal. They exchanged a knowing smile before Addison left the room.

* * *

"What's the big deal?" demanded Mark in the empty, secluded hallway. "I did something nice for her. She's been through a lot…"

"Some of which was caused by you," shot back Brianna.

"Whoa," said Mark, smoothing her hair. "Put the sparks back in. I'm not hurting anyone."

"Technically you broke into her hotel room. And I'm pretty sure she didn't give you her key. I could get you into serious trouble. You don't really have a choice. Tell me."

"Persuasive little…you're just like your aunt."

"I think you're looking for 'conniving and manipulative', and I hope you know that I always take that comment as a compliment."

"Fine," said Mark. "I picked her pocket. It's not that hard to do. I used to do it all the time back home."

Brianna looked at him expectantly.

"I have to explain, don't I?"

"In detail," she answered.

(2 weeks ago)

_Addison was washing her hands after surgery with Mark. For a while, the rushing water was the only sound. Then she let out a long I'm-sick-of-everything sigh._

_Mark looked over at her. "You only make that sound when you want attention," he said. "I get it. What's wrong?"_

"_Nothing," she answered, turning off the water._

"_You also say that when you want someone's attention. I'll play. What's wrong, Addi?"_

"_Since when are you an expert on me?" she snapped._

_Mark rolled his eyes and turned off his water. Addison grabbed paper towels, dried off her hands, and turned around, pressing the damp cloths to her face._

"_I'm sorry. That was out of line. I just feel…it's not a good day."_

"_Don't apologize," said Mark. "What's up?"_

_Addison gave him a look that said that she was so not up for talking right now._

"_Okay," Mark suggested. "How about for the next five minutes I'm not an ass. I'm your friend. Everything that happened between us never existed."_

_There was silence and Mark was wondering how he might get himself out of this one when Addison looked up, one hand on her forehead. "Fine, but I'm holding you to it."_

_Mark nodded._

"_I'm divorced. Last Christmas sucked. This Christmas is going to suck. I love Christmas. I just…I don't want something else in my life to go downhill, if that makes any sense at all."_

_There was silence after this and Addison was wondering if she had let herself get played again when Mark answered._

"_I get it. I loved Christmas too."_

"_I'm tired of being lonely," Addison said, visibly relaxing. "I'm tired of feeling lonely and I'm sick and tired of feeling like I need something to keep me going. I'm better than this. And with Christmas…I just don't know."_

"_Hey," said Mark. "Don't say that. You were always the one who was excited for Christmas. Remember? All those decorations you put up? You always did them yourself because you loved it. And because no one did it as well as you and you knew it."_

_Addison offered a weak smile. "I wish I felt the same way," she said. "I'm not angry. I'm not mad at Derek or Meredith or anyone. I'm just…well, I guess I am mad…at myself."_

_Mark hated seeing her like this. He couldn't tell her that because that was crossing over the very thin line she'd allowed him to stand on. If he took one step into her territory, she'd snap back quicker than anything, and he would have once again betrayed her trust._

_Mark nodded. "I hope you find what you're looking for," he said._

_She nodded, lost for words. They parted, but Mark had made a promise to himself to help out Addi this Christmas. It was the least he could do._

Brianna let out a slow breath. Then she looked at Mark. "Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Call me Bree."

* * *

**Interesting, huh? Give Lucky Bear a hug for me and share the GA love!!!**


	9. Everything Happens for a Reason

**So, I'm dedicating this chapter to Kim, who I totally owe the Captain Obvious thing too. And to be fair, I guess that Brandy and Inge get credit too!!! This is long and seemingly pointless but remember the EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. Key word. Also the title of the chapter. :D**

**Thanks for all the reviews! I haven't replied because they're not getting forwarded to my email, but I promise that I know they're there and thanks!!!**

**Disclaimer: Check!**

* * *

Addison was tiredly finishing off some paperwork when Brianna walked up to her.

"I finished my homework for today. You look tired. Want to go out to eat?"

Addison looked up. "That's something I've been meaning to ask you about. If you're here, how are you going to school?"

Brianna grinned. "I'm on an 'educational field trip'."

Addison raised an eyebrow.

"I get all my homework emailed to me. I do it, scan it, and turn it in. And my teachers know I don't cheat because that's just stupid."

Addison smiled. "Okay, dinner it is. Where do you want to go? I usually go to Joe's but I don't think they'd allow you in there."

Brianna thought. She was sure she could get in, but she wanted some time with just her and Addison. "I don't really know the area, so you can choose."

"There's this diner," suggested Addison. "Everything is totally 60's in there."

"Sounds great," said Brianna. "Oh, and don't bother about the key. I got one."

"When?"

"Um…I found it in your room," she covered smoothly. "I tried it and it worked."

"Oh," said Addison, shrugging. "I'll see you later then."

"Yeah," said Brianna. "I need to figure out what to wear.

* * *

While Brianna was wandering the halls trying to figure out said clothing, she saw Derek.

"Hey," she greeted.

"What? Oh, hi, Brianna," said Derek. He was walking briskly and Brianna matched his pace so that they were practically running through the hallway.

"Need to be somewhere?"

"I'm running late for surgery," said Derek.

"May I watch?" she asked.

"Yeah. The entrance to the gallery is that way," he said, pointing.

"Okay," she said. "Thanks!"

"No problem," he smiled.

* * *

"So after Alex set up the Christmas tree, he came back and decorated the entire thing!"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously! I totally don't know why!"

"It's a little obvious, right?" asked Meredith, kicking the vending machine.

"You don't think…" said Izzie.

"How the heck am I supposed to know?" asked Meredith. "I'm just saying, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…"

"Ducks? You couldn't think of a better metaphor?"

"I have an imprint of a shopping cart on my right side. Give me a break!"

Izzie winced. "You've made me start thinking about the pain today."

"I'd give you a massage, but lifting my right arm hurts. Go find someone who will."

Just then, Meredith's beeper went off. "They're assigning me now?" she muttered. "I'll see you later."

"Good luck!" yelled Izzie.

* * *

Meredith arrived to a very stressed-looking Addison.

"You paged?" asked Meredith.

"Yes," said Addison. "I don't need an intern. Believe me, you're in no shape to operate and I'd hate to put you through that. I also hate doing this, but I do need you to do me a favor…"

Meredith shrugged. "I really don't mind. I'd rather feel like I'm doing something."

"I know," said Addison. "This makes me seem so much like Sloan, which I hate, but would you mind taking Brianna home? I'll meet her there. I just don't want her to spend her whole day here. I feel like I'm scarring her for life or something."

"Oh, sure," said Meredith. "Don't even mention it. I'll go find her.

"Oh, and Dr. Grey?"

"Yes?"

"When you're ready to come back, I'll be happy to assign you a case."

"Thank you."

* * *

"You look like you're in pain," said Alex, walking down the stairs only to find Izzie sitting in the stairwell with a contorted expression of pain on her face.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," she answered.

"Okay, sorry. What I meant was…can I do anything to help?"

"I need a massage," said Izzie bluntly.

"What?"

"You heard me. Either give me one or go away."

Alex sat down next to her and began rubbing her shoulders.

"Thank you," she said.

"Don't mention it."

"Horse-riding accident!" hollered someone. "Three male victims! Let's move, people!"

The atmosphere of the hospital suddenly changed from mediocre to busy. "I need an IV!" yelled Bailey, springing into action. "Page Dr. Torres!"

"I'm here," said Callie. "What's going on?"

"Take this one," said Bailey. "Someone page Dr. Shepherd! Get three interns! Let's go! Now!"

Izzie and Alex had settled into a position in which she was sitting between his legs and had her shoulder leaned on his shoulder so she could stretch her neck while he was massaging it.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Yes," said Izzie distractedly, totally drifting off on his shoulder.

BEEP-BEEP.

Both interns checked their pagers. "It's me," announced Alex.

"Me too," said Izzie. "I have Torres."

"I have Shepherd," said Alex. "Darn it."

They looked at each other for one last second of peace before getting up and running in separate directions to chaos.

* * *

"Sir, can you tell us your name?" asked Callie, after the man had been stabilized and set up in a room.

Izzie ran into the room. She smoothed her hair. Callie wordlessly handed her the chart. Izzie flipped it open to see that he was twenty-five and as far as she could see, had only been in the hospital once before for a bee sting.

"Caspar King," the man answered, still in pain.

"Can you tell me what happened?" asked Callie, motioning for Izzie to get some morphine.

"My horse…got spooked by this bright light in the sky."

"Okay, sir," said Callie. "We're going to send you up to CAT scan. Anything else you want to tell us?"

"My brothers…where are they?"

"They're being treated," answered Callie. "Do you know what happened to them?"

"Yes," said Caspar. "When my horse spooked, all of them spooked."

"Where were you riding?" asked Izzie.

"We were in this forest at some pasture," he said. "Oh! My horse! Do you know anything about my horse?"

"Your horse is fine," said Callie.

"How soon can I see Beth?"

"We'll find out as soon as we get the pictures back," reassured Callie. "Stevens, take him up to CAT scan please. While he's in there, try to get some information on his brothers and their horses. Mr. King, this is Dr. Stevens and she's going to take you up to CAT scan."

Izzie nodded before wheeling the man out of the room. "What's your first name?" asked the man.

"Isobel, but everyone calls me Izzie," she said.

"I don't usually ride horses," Caspar said, "but today I felt this urge to go somewhere, and I convinced my brothers to go with me. It just doesn't make sense. I felt like we were meant to do something." He shook his head.

"Don't feel bad," said Izzie. "You didn't know this was going to happen."

"Everything happens for a reason, though," said Caspar. "I believe in that. Do you?"

"Yes," said Izzie. "I do, actually."

"I teach high school history," said Caspar. "It looks like my students are going to need a sub."

"You can call them when you get out," said Izzie.

"Yeah," said Caspar. "They'll be fine. I also need to call Archie. I'm a coin collector on the side. That reminds me, where are my things?"

"We're keeping them for you. They're perfectly safe. We're here."

She pushed him out of the elevator. Something flickered at the back of her mind, a second of recognition, but she pushed it away.

* * *

"I knew that this would be a bad idea," said the man, wincing as he said so.

"What was that, sir?" asked Bailey, leaning over him.

"I said that this was a bad idea. Riding horses in the winter. I tried to discourage him and do they listen? No! So I have to go along with them and LOOK WHAT HAPPENS!"

Alex hurried into the room.

"You're late, Karev," said Bailey.

"I was helping someone out," he said.

"Hello? Hi," said the man. "Look at me. You know, the guy with the large pointy objects protruding from his arms and legs?"

"What's your name, sir?" said Alex with a hint of sarcasm.

"Melchior King," answered the man. Bailey handed Alex the chart, and he glanced at it, seeing that this man was twenty-eight and hypoglycemic.

"Can you tell us what happened, sir?" asked Bailey, while she and Alex examined the wounds.

"My brother (who by the way, if you see him, go tell him that I would like to kick him) decides to take us out on a suicide mission on icy trails with our horses who he has not ridden in months!"

"You have a horse?" asked Alex.

"Yes," said Melchior. "Her name's Star. She's all yellow except for this white spot on her forehead."

"You must be pretty rich," said Alex. Bailey kicked him so that Melchior couldn't see.

"It's all right," drawled the man. "I don't mind. I'm a defense lawyer."

"Dr. Karev is going to schedule a CT. Try not to move your arms and legs…not that you really can…and we'll get to you as soon as we can."

"Some idiot thought it would be funny to stick a mirror up in a tree…stupid," said Melchior. "Now look where it gets us."

"Those other two men are your brothers?" asked Bailey.

"Yes. Caspar…he's the youngest…took us out riding. He said he felt like something was going to happen. He's always been silly like that. Could you find out how they're doing for me?"

Bailey looked at Alex who nodded. "I'll do it as soon as I can."

"Mr. King, is there anyone I can call?"

"First, call me Melchior, because if there's three Kings here, you're going to get confused. Second, no. None of us are married and our parents are long gone. It's just the three of us."

"Thank you," said Bailey, heading out the door. "Watch him," she said to Alex. "I think he likes you. Lord knows he reminds me of you. Page me if anything happens."

Sighing, Alex headed off to start the long list of tasks he'd been assigned.

* * *

"Brianna? There you are."

"Hi, Meredith. I was just watching Derek's surgery. He's finished now. I think he got another page though, because he ran out of there pretty quickly."

"Addison says that I'm supposed to take you home."

"Oh, okay." Brianna grabbed her bag. Then she looked at Meredith slyly. "Do you want to see the room?"

"Sure," said Meredith. "I thought you'd never ask."

Later in the car…

"Turn here?" asked Meredith.

"One more," said Brianna.

Meredith turned into the parking lot and looked up at the hotel. "Whoa…"

"I know, right? It's almost enough to make me want her job, so I can stay in a place like this."

"You'd want a house."

"Maybe I'll stay in hotels for the rest of my life."

Meredith laughed. "Where's your room?"

"Floor 22."

"So," said Meredith, turning off the car and getting out, "why was she in a hurry to get you back here?"

"We're going out tonight," said Brianna.

"Oh," said Meredith. "That's good." She walked toward the hotel before looking at Brianna again. "Is this weird to you at all? Because we don't have to do the thing."

"The thing? What thing?"

"The small talk thing. I mean…well, if it's weird…"

"I don't mind."

"Okay then…holy mother…" She looked around. It was HUGE.

"Come on…" Brianna steered her toward the elevators.

"I love this…the kind you can see through," Meredith said, watching as they glided up without a sound.

"From what I've heard, you have quite a thing for elevators."

"That's true," said Meredith, blushing slightly.

DING. They stepped out of the elevator. "So Mark's room is over there. That's where the Chief is, and that's Callie's room over there," said Brianna, pointing appropriately.

"This," she said, stopping in front of a room in the middle of the hall, "is our room." She opened the door and Meredith's eyes widened. "Whoa."

* * *

**Lucky Bear needs some love!!!**


	10. Mary, Did You Know?

**A/N: New chapter!!! And hopefully they'll keep on coming!!! The song that they're singing is Mary, Did You Know? It's kind of obvious, but yeah. I don't own it or anything.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Grey's or the Christmas songs.**

* * *

"So, do you like it?"

"Izzie would be jealous," answered Meredith. "Oh my…and they did this all by themselves?" She touched the Christmas tree. "You'd think that it was planned months in advance."

"I love it," said Brianna happily. "It reminds me of home."

"You miss it, don't you?"

"Yeah," said Brianna sadly. "I actually got a call from my mom this morning. She's not going to be here for Christmas. I knew that she probably wasn't, but the possibility…I don't know."

"I'm sorry," said Meredith. "It sucks, your mom not being here for Christmas."

Brianna looked at her. "I feel worse for you. You've had to do it for a long time, huh?"

"I get used to it. Not completely, but it's not a good thing to do either way. Stay close to your mom, if you can. The attachment to her never really goes away."

"Thanks, Meredith. You should go. I'm not sure how Addison would feel about you in here."

"Yeah," said Meredith regretfully. She looked around. "I'm not a Christmas person…"

"Why?" interrupted Brianna.

Meredith just looked at her.

"I love Christmas," said Brianna. "I love the songs and how everyone…everyone's on their best behavior or something. We pretend there's magic. It's just pretend, but everyone's pretending, so it's almost real."

"I only like depressing Christmas songs."

"No Deck the Halls for you?"

"Heck no!" said Meredith. She got up and walked to the door. "Hang in there."

"You too," said Brianna. Meredith walked out the door.

Brianna sat in front of the Christmas tree thinking about what Meredith had said. She began to hum.

"Mary, did you know

That your baby boy

Would someday walk on water?

Mary, did you know

That your baby boy

Would save our sons and daughters?"

She couldn't pinpoint the exact point in when she stopped humming and started singing, but it became clear to her that she was singing when she caught the sound of her voice…

"Did you know

That your baby boy

Has come to make you new?"

…singing along with another.

"The child you delivered

Would soon deliver you?"

Brianna whirled around to see her aunt behind her. She paused for a fraction of a second, feeling only a little embarrassed. Addison gave her a small nod before singing:

"Mary did you know

That your baby boy

Would give sight to a blind man?"

Brianna smiled a little before singing back:

"Mary, did you know

That your baby boy

Would calm a storm with his hands?"

There was another pause and they finished together.

"Did you know

That your baby boy

Has walked where angels trod?

When you kissed the little baby

You kissed the face of God?"

Addison laughed. "Your mother told me that you had a good voice, but I didn't know that you were that good."

"I didn't even know that you could sing," said Brianna. Addison sat down beside her and looked at the tree.

"There's something about that tree…I can't put my finger on it…"

"Something familiar?" asked Brianna, wondering just what Addison would do if she did find out.

Addison crawled toward the tree and reached into it, searching for something between the branches. Brianna shrugged and went to change.

"What do you want to wear?"

Addison shrugged. "I'll take whatever. Go find me something." She was engrossed in the tree.

Brianna went and found herself black camisole and green sweater combo to wear with jeans. She found Addison a white sweater and some Uggs.

Realizing that she hadn't heard anything from Addison in a while, she turned to see Addison sitting beside the tree, silently looking down at what appeared to be a small dove figurine. It didn't look like an ornament, but it was obviously resting in the tree.

"Found something?" asked Brianna.

Addison looked up. "What? Oh, nothing," she said, getting up to grab the clothes. "Give me a minute, okay?"

"Sure," said Brianna. The second the bathroom door closed, Brianna put one hand on her forehead. "She knows."

"I know," said Alex, before Bailey opened her mouth. "You want me out of here."

"Page George O'Malley," said Bailey. "You need to go to Dr. Shepherd."

"That's where I was supposed to go in the first place."

"I know," said Bailey. "Dr. Shepherd was in surgery. Now, are you going to sit here all day asking me repetitive questions or do as I say?"

Alex hurried off to find Dr. Shepherd already with his patient.

"Can you move your fingers, Mr…"

"Mr. King," answered the man. "Balthasar King."

"The third King," muttered Alex. "How ironic."

"What was that, Karev?" asked Derek.

"Nothing," said Alex.

"Do you remember anything about what happened, Mr. King?" asked Alex.

"Please," said the man in a calm, almost musical voice. "Call me Balthasar. Or Balty. Call me Balty."

Derek and Alex exchanged a look before going back to Balthasar…uh, Balty."

"My brother Caspar decided that we could use some bonding time. He wanted us to go horse riding. I had a feeling that it was more for his benefit, so I agreed, even though I had planned a wonderful day of relaxation and taken the day off from work. I run a car dealership."

"You run that one by Mayberry?" asked Derek, shining a light into Balty's eyes.

"That's the one," answered Balty. "Anyway, he wanted to go horse riding, so I decided to go. I took my horse, Epiphany. It wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, I ride often, but Caspar's horse spooked by this sudden bright light. It was kind of a domino effect," he sighed. "Are my brothers here? Our horses?"

"Yes," answered Derek. "Your brothers are under the care of Dr. Torres and Dr. Bailey, and they are in good hands. Could you wiggle your toes?"

Balty looked down at his toes. "Now, that seems to be a problem. I'm moving both. But the left side doesn't seem to be doing anything, huh? Strange."

"Are you always this laid back?" asked Alex.

"Karev!" said Derek.

"It's alright," said Balty. "It's quite like me to take things in stride. What's the worst that could happen, you know? Like these toes of mine."

"We'll try to figure out what's wrong," said Derek. "Karev, I'm going to need to schedule that CT."

"His other two brothers are also scheduled," said Alex, "but I can get him in after that."

"Alright," said Derek. "It's settled. Do you need anything?" he asked Balty.

"I would like a pillow," he said. "My neck is killing me."

There was another exchanged look between Alex and Derek. This was definitely an eccentric patient.

"Well, Dr. Karev will see to it that all your needs are answered."

"Thank you kindly, Dr. Shepherd," said Balty. "I have a feeling that we're going to be very close friends."

All three smiled at each other with varying degrees of sincereness.

"O'Malley, good, you're here. This is Melchior. He seems to have small rocks embedded in his skin, and a couple of small twigs. Keep an eye on him."

"Thank you, Dr. Bailey." George was happy. It was a good case to keep his mind off everything that was going on with him.

"Don't thank me," said Dr. Bailey, before stalking out of the room.

"Isn't Christmas just wonderful?" asked Melchior semi-sarcastically. "Now I have to spend it in a hospital."

"You're Melchior King?"

"That's my name. Don't wear it out," he quipped. "Looks like it's your lucky day. You don't look like you're having such a great day either."

"Can I ask you a question, then?"

"Shoot away, sonny boy."

"Why do you have the name 'Melchior'?"

"You've heard of my brothers, O'Malley? I would think that that was obvious. I was born to cutesy parents. God rest their souls." He looked toward heaven.

"You're Christian?"

"Catholic," he answered.

"Why don't you like Christmas?"

"To tell you the truth," Melchior said, "I don't really know."

Mark walked by Meredith and Christina on the way out. "Grey, Yang," he greeted.

"So, McSteamy," called Meredith from behind him. "When are you planning on telling Dr. Montgomery that you decorated her room?"

He stopped and turned around. "She'll find out."

"And then what?" It was Christina. Mark glared at her. "Oh, so only the dirty mistresses are allowed to talk? Come on. Seriously?"

Mark shrugged. "I don't know. I just felt like cheering her up is all. How's Dr. Burke?"

Christina looked at him as to ask why he cared.

"It's the holidays," he sighed.

"He's…everything and nothing," said Christina.

"Bree wants me to stop by tonight. I swear she's planning something."

"You just realized?" asked Meredith.

"Since when does he get to call her Bree?" asked Christina.

There was a silence, in which Mark looked around at the two interns. "Well, I think we have definitely succeeded in confusing ourselves. So, until next time."

"Bye," chorused the interns, before looking at each other.

"Let's just…" started Meredith.

"Forget it," said Christina.

"It was just so…" said Meredith again.

"Incredibly weird," finished Christina.

"No, that was weird," said Meredith.

"Let's go," said Christina. "We're off in half an hour anyway. I swear this hospital possesses me."

"Wow," exclaimed Brianna, walking into the diner. "It's so…bubble gum in here!"

"Wait until you see the waiters and waitresses dance," said Addison. She took a seat in a booth. Brianna followed. After ordering a burger each, Brianna zoned out, smiling slightly as three waiters danced to _Stayin' Alive._

"You alright?" asked Addison after a little while. "You seem to be a little quiet tonight."

"Mom's not coming home for Christmas."

"I'm sorry," said Addison, looking down.

"Don't be," said Brianna. "Staying here with you is not torture at all. It's kind of nice to not be in the middle of the drama."

"Instead, you watch it from the stands," grinned Addison. "I'd tell you to tell me something I don't know, but I am about to eat, so I won't do it."

"A smart choice," Brianna said, her eyes just as intense, joking with Addison. "You've been thinking most of the time we've been here also. So come on, let's hear it."

"I know who decorated my hotel room," said Addison bluntly.

Brianna couldn't stop herself. Her face twitched.

"You knew before I did," said Addison, shocked. "Well, I can't tell you anything else."

"Why?"

"I need to deal with this," she said simply, and Brianna knew the conversation was done. At that moment, their food was brought, along with some milkshakes – chocolate for both girls. They were rather hungry, and didn't talk again until they were finished eating.

"Are you going to confront him about it?" asked Brianna.

"Didn't I JUST finish telling you that I wouldn't say anything else?"

"I just need to know."

"Why?"

"Well…number one, I stay in the room. If you do decide to talk there…there's no way you're doing it at work. Well, I guess you could, but I'd still need to know so I know where to clear out of."

"I'll take care of it," said Addison, taking the check that was placed onto the table and putting her platinum card in it. While it was being processed, Addison suggested that they walk around the streets outside.

"I'd like that," smiled Brianna. When they had gotten their check, they headed outside.

"So," said Addison, putting her arm around Brianna, "have you heard anything about your dad?"

"I don't know," answered Brianna, leaning against Addison. "She didn't say much about him. She said that they weren't far from where they were last time, and that it was complicated."

"I hate when she says that," said Addison. "No offense, but I wish she did try to explain. I barely know what's going on."

"Would you call her for me?"

"I could do that."

"Thanks," said Brianna. "This whole thing is really weird."

"You haven't seen weird."

"True enough."

They paused and looked at the nice lighting by a fountain. The water changed color about every ten seconds.

"So," said Addison, "if I told you that I needed the room to myself tonight, what would you do?"

Brianna looked at Addison. "Seriously?"

"I'm going to talk to him. That's all," she said.

Brianna grinned. "I'd need somewhere to stay. Hide out. Actually, I wouldn't mind you just putting me somewhere for the night. I don't know where, though."

"I could just…stay with someone else." She looked up at Addison.

Addison stared back, a you-aren't-seriously-thinking-what-I-think-you're-thinking kind of stare. She grudgingly pulled out her cell phone.

"Meredith!" called Derek, running to catch up with her in the hallway.

"Hey," said Meredith. "What's up?"

"I need you to do me a bit of a favor."

"I'm listening."

"Apparently, Addison needs Brianna to stay with me tonight. Seeing as she made me swear not to let her stay in my trailer…"

"She's going to stay with me?" asked Meredith. "That's fine. I hope you told her to send her right over."

"Is something going on here that I don't know about?"

"In time," said Meredith simply. "You off now?"

"Yeah," said Derek. "What about you?"

"Yeah," said Meredith. "Take me home? Sitting hurts too much."

"Thanks, guys," said Brianna. "I hope you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all," said Meredith. "You're welcome here any time. You can sleep on the couch, if that's alright with you."

"That's perfectly fine," smiled Brianna. "I just need a ride back in the morning. You know, for my stuff."

"I'll give you a ride back," said Derek. "I have to be there early anyway. I don't mind."

"Thanks," said Brianna, hugging Derek quickly.

"Brianna? Come help me! I'm making cookies!" hollered Izzie.

"Duty calls," smiled Brianna.

"Hey guys," said George. "I'm heading over to meet Callie at Joe's. I'll see you later."

Meredith turned around, surprised but happy. "What made you change your mind?"

"I'm not changing my mind," said George. "I'm going for drinks with Callie."

"Alright," smiled Meredith. "I'll see you when I see you."

"Was the tiniest of grins I saw?" asked Derek, wrapping his arms around her.

"I think so," said Meredith, leaning in to kiss him.

"Derek! Meredith! If you think you're getting out of this, you're SO wrong!" Izzie yelled.

* * *

**In the next chapter: What exactly happens when Addison confronts Mark? What is up with George and Callie? Do these 3 Kings have a purpose? And what in the world possesses the Chief to have a hospital Christmas party?**

**Give Lucky Bear some love!!!**


	11. The Story of the Dove

**Hey guys! It's been a while, but I wrote this at 1 in the morning...I hope you like it!!! Oh, and give Lucky Bear a little extra love today...you might help me. I've got a swim meet AND two quizzes tomorrow, not to mention that I'm probably going to miss Grey's and will have to watch it the NEXT DAY!!!**

**Oh, and this is dedicated to Krystal and Lauren. :D**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own them, but I'm not complaining. :D**

**The Story of the Dove**

* * *

"So…what's up, George?" asked Callie, taking a long drink.

"I'm on a case with a pessimistic religious guy," said George. "What about you?" Their voices were tired and not inquisitive at all.

"I'm…on the case with his brother," said Callie. "He's going to need surgery soon. I think yours has more priority though. How are Izzie and Meredith?"

"They're…good," said George. "Brianna's staying over tonight."

"What's up with Addison's niece?"

"Well, it's a long story…"

"George? I've had a long day and I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay, so I guess it started before you worked at Seattle Grace…in the summer…"

* * *

Addison drove back to the hotel, wondering just what explanation Brianna was going to give Derek for her staying with him, at his girlfriend's house of all places.

After she had parked and rode the elevator, she went to her door and almost stuck the card in before pausing and putting the card in her pocket. Instead she headed to Mark's door and knocked.

He opened the door. "Addison?" he asked, confused.

"Come here," she said. "I want to show you something."

She knew that he knew what was going on because he didn't ask her why, though he feigned the confusion look well. He turned, grabbed his key and followed her, closing the door behind him.

Addison opened the door to her room and set down her bag as he followed her wordlessly. She went to the Christmas tree and took the dove before turning around.

"I take it you weren't going for the random act of kindness award," she said, holding it out.

"You know me," said Mark, "I just can't think of anyone but myself."

"You set this up."

"Yes."

"And you…you kept the dove?"

"All these years," Mark nodded.

"Why?" she whispered, rolling the dove around in her fingers. It was a tiny miniature of a dove, snow white with tiny blue glittery eyes.

"Are you honestly asking me that question?"

For a minute, they both looked at the tree and all the decorations.

"_Alright, Addison," said Mark, looking in the store window. "I have to admit that I'm really only hanging out with you this afternoon because Derek's out buying your Christmas present."_

"_Any chance that you'll tell me what it is?"_

"_Where's the fun in that?"_

"_Fine," said Addison. "I'll just pretend that I didn't know what was going on."_

"_What do you want for Christmas anyway?"_

"_I don't know."_

"_Everyone says that. Come on, I have to get you something."_

"_Okay," she said, still walking. She stopped when they were about five stores down. "Look at that." She pointed to a dove in the window._

"_You can't be serious." They happened to be in front of a store selling Christmas figurines._

"_It's symbolic," she argued._

"_Fine," he said, walking into the store._

"_You're not supposed to get it now!" she argued._

"_Why not?"_

"_I'm standing right here."_

"_Fine," said Mark. He walked over and pushed her onto a bench. "Now you're not standing. You're sitting. And when I come out, you're going to pretend that you don't know what's going on."_

_Two days before Christmas, he gave her a wrapped box and grinned. "It's symbolic," he said._

_She opened it to find a dove, already in flight._

"_What's the symbol?"_

_He shrugged. "I don't know. Ask me in a few years."_

"_Thank you."_

"_You're welcome."_

"Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the symbol?" She turned around to face him.

"I picked the dove because it was flying free." He pushed her hair out of her face.

She leaned forward and kissed him. It was friendly, on the cheek. "Thank you. Really."

"You're welcome."

* * *

"Thanks for letting me stay with you, Derek," said Brianna.

"Well, I don't really know you that well, so it's fine," said Derek. "Are you sure you don't want me to go in with you?"

"I'll be fine. She's probably sleeping, but I'll let myself in. You had better tell them to bring those cookies to work. And the cakes, brownies, fudge, and banana bread."

"Will do," grinned Derek. "Since when do I turn down a cavity like that?"

"Health nut."

"Baking freak. You know, I'm scared. You and Izzie in the kitchen together? That's way too much."

"You're just jealous because I got to lick the spoon."

"Oh, but I got frosting anyway."

"Derek, throwing a cupcake at Meredith so you could lick the frosting off her mouth was something I hope I never see again."

Derek just laughed before calming down. "Alright. Let me make it up to you."

"You're going to let me watch your surgeries?"

"I'll even let you help out the patients and their kids. So you're not bored all day. Do you have work to do?"

"I have exams in a week…I'll study later. Besides, it's on the job training."

"Alright, just for today."

Brianna sprang toward him and hugged him. "Thanks!" Then she hopped out of the car. "Got to go, but thanks!"

* * *

Brianna didn't want to wake Addison, so she slipped into the room silently with the key card. Not quickly enough.

"Brianna? Is that you?" asked Callie, coming out in a shirt and a pair of pajama pants. "Were you out late? I was just going to get some breakfast."

"I was out all night at Meredith's," she offered as an explanation.

Callie got a little smirk on her face. "Well, that explains it," she said.

"Callie!" came a voice from within. "Close the door! I couldn't sleep all night! It's as bad as Meredith's!"

Brianna raised an eyebrow.

"You teenagers these days," she laughed. "No, we didn't do that. We watched cartoons all night."

Brianna nodded with a you-are-so-lying smile and went into the room, closing the door behind her.

George came up behind Callie wearing his jeans and a shirt. "You didn't tell her that Addison has a man in there?"

Callie smiled. "No."

"That's evil."

"No, the man is evil. Besides, Brianna's a smart girl. I don't think it'll be too bad."

George looked at Callie with a mischievous look.

"Good idea," said Callie, and she stuck a trash can in the door before going across the hall to listen to what was going to happen.

* * *

Brianna waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkened room. A few rays of light came through the window. What she saw made her freak out.

She was looking at Addison's bed, in which an extremely bare-shouldered Addison was sleeping next to an unidentifiable lump.

Here's the million dollar question: who's the lump?

Before she could figure out what to do, a sudden chirp almost made her scream. The lump moved. Wishing that she was anywhere but here, Brianna dropped to the floor – her first instinct, and rolled under the bed. She could see the couch from where she was…that would have been a better place to hide. Oh, well. Too late.

"What is that?" groaned Mark.

So it was him. This was going down as one of Brianna's most awkward moments. Straight to the top.

"Mmm..alarm…" murmured Addison, reaching over to turn it off. She turned over to Mark. "Good morning."

"Good morning," he answered, and Brianna could just imagine the smirk he must have on his face. She watched as Addison leaned over to kiss him.

"You taste good," he said sleepily, scooting closer to her.

Someone help me, thought Brianna. That is so gross.

"Likewise," she replied. "You really are a piece of man-candy."

"And you really are Satan," he said, kissing her again. "Or at least you were last night." Brianna didn't hear anything for a while. She was wondering if she would (God forbid) have to watch them do it yet AGAIN, when she was saved. By Addison.

There was a sudden rustle of blankets. "Brianna, Mark!"

Brianna shrank down. She couldn't have spotted her. Not from over here.

"What about her?" he asked, placing kisses down her neck.

"She's going to walk in at ANY SECOND," Addison said. "Get up!"

"Why?" whined Mark. "It doesn't matter. She's fourteen. She's not stupid."

"I'm fifteen," whispered Brianna from under the bed.

"She's fifteen," said Addison. "Stop doing that!"

Brianna winced. Ew.

There was a sudden thump next to her on the floor. Frightened, Brianna shimmied to the other side of the bed.

"Get out of bed, Mark! Get dressed! You need to be out of here before she comes!"

"Fine," he groaned, reaching under the bed Brianna was hiding under. "I think my pants are over here."

Brianna handed them to him.

"Thank you," he said, before doing a double take. Brianna waved at him.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Addison sleepily.

"AHHHHH!!!"

"WHAT?" exclaimed Addison, hopping out of bed and pulling the sheet around her. (Thank God, thought Brianna).

"There was this huge tarantula thing on my clothes!"

"Where?" asked Addison.

Brianna was silently mouthing "no" to Mark.

"Um, he went this way," he said, pointing away from the bed. Brianna mouthed "thank you" while Mark led Addison to the other side of the room. Slowly, she slid out from under the bed, with intentions of getting the heck out of the room. She crept army-style along the edge of the bed. Mark was looking over his shoulder at her. He nodded (wow he looked great without a shirt on) and pulled Addison in for a kiss.

Brianna sprinted to the door and let herself out. What she didn't know was that Callie and George's faces were pressed up against the sides.

"Ow!"

"Were you listening?" shrieked Brianna.

"Shut up, they'll hear you!" scolded George, getting up and rubbing his head. "Come on, let's go," he said to Callie.

"Let's bet on how long that takes to get around the hospital."

"I'm not telling," said George.

"I'm so not telling," said Callie.

"You want to give it 12 hours?"

"Eleven."

"Deal."

* * *

As they hurried away, Brianna knocked on the door.

Inside…

"You are something else," Addison said, pulling away. "Get dressed."

"You're so sexy when you're angry."

"I'm sexy all the time," said Addison, smiling at him briefly before throwing his shirt at him. "Go!"

There was a knock at the door.

"Great," said Addison. "Hide under the bed."

"Say what?"

"Go!" she said, shoving him underneath. She let go of the sheet (gaining a hoot from Mark...she kicked him) so she could grab a robe and put it on.

"Hey Addison!" said Brianna. "How'd it go?"

Addison thought for a minute. "Better than I thought."

"Good!" said Brianna, trying to stop her heart from beating so fast. This was so not a good situation.

"How was Meredith's?"

"Good!" said Brianna. "We baked and went all out."

"Well, I was going to get dressed, and then we can go," said Addison.

"I'll go down and get something to eat," said Brianna, hoping to get out as soon as possible.

"I'll meet you," said Addison. Brianna let herself out. Mark got out from under the bed.

"You are so complicated."

"Get out of my room," laughed Addison. "I'll see you at work."

"Alright," said Mark grudgingly, before kissing Addison.

"I hate you right now," she said, eyes narrowed.

"I can take it," he smiled, before leaving the room. But the problems weren't over.

* * *

"Hey, McSteamy!" hollered Callie, sitting on the other side of the hall with George. They were lying in siege, muffins in their mouths.

"Isn't your room that way?" asked George, pointing.

"Shut up," said Mark.

"Ah, the walk of shame!" hollered Callie behind him.

"That's it, keep walking!" yelled George.

Mark wondered. If Callie, George, and Brianna knew, who knew what else could happen today?

* * *

**Questions? Comments? Assurance that I'm not insane? I'll take anything...Lucky Bear's in the corner!!! ;)**


	12. Silver Bells

**So random! But it's a really, really big filler. Then I promise I'll try and tie up this huge monster I have unleashed. The monster being the fic. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Check!**

**Silver Bells**

* * *

_City sidewalks, busy sidewalks,_

_Dressed in holiday style,_

_In the air, there's a feeling of Christmas._

_Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile,_

_And on every street corner, you hear..._

"What the hell is that?" asked Christina, looking like she'd just woken up, and the song was the bright light that had committed the crime.

"Supposedly that's the local caroler group," said Alex. "One of their members is in here for some kind of surgery…oh, it was Shepherd's patient. I think she's getting out today."

"I don't care. I'm getting out of here," said Christina. "I think that there's something seriously wrong with people who dress up in frilly dresses. Heck, I have a problem with men who dress in tights. I'm going back to the pit."

"You're supposed to be there anyway."

"Just like you're supposed to be with Sloan?" asked Christina.

Alex was silent for a moment too long.

"I don't get it," said Christina. "It's what you want, isn't it?"

More silence.

"Oh my God. You want to go back with Addison?"

"I don't know," said Alex. "I never DO anything with Sloan. It's like a freaking frat boy club."

"It's hazing," said Christina. She sighed. "Whatever works for you. I don't know. I have to go."

"Hey," said Alex suddenly. "How's Burke?"

"I don't know," said Christina.

"You're sticking with him though."

It was Christina's turn to be silent.

"Whatever works for you," Alex shrugged before walking off. Neither of them could see it, but both were smiling a little. The grudge was gone, though neither would admit it.

* * *

_Silver bells, silver bells, it's Christmas time in the city_

_Hear the bells go ring-a-ling, hear them ring..._

_Soon it will be Christmas Day_

"Alright, Stevens, what do you see?" asked Callie, putting up the films Izzie had just gotten her.

"He broke his left humerus all the way through," said Izzie. "His elbow is really messed up. There's a slight fracture in his left fibula. I think he landed on his left side, and his arm hit the ground first." She shuddered.

"We'll have to go in," said Callie, "for the arm. You can scrub in. Did you find anything about the horse?"

"It sprained its ankle," said Izzie. "It got stuck in some kind of hole, but other than that, it's good. Beth's a nice horse, palomino and white…she's beautiful."

"You have a thing for horses, Stevens?"

"I went through a horse phase," she smiled vaguely.

"I did too," said Callie, smiling. "I was actually in it for the horse, you know? Not like those girls who wanted the pink My Little Ponies."

"Same," said Izzie. "Those things are a disgrace to the human race."

"They really are," laughed Callie, turning to leave. Izzie followed her. They were stopped by Brianna.

"Hey!" she said, a little breathless. If Izzie didn't know any better, she'd think that she looked almost guilty. "Take one!"

She handed each of them an envelope. Izzie's was covered in pictures of candy canes. Callie's was covered in pictures of gingerbread men. Izzie looked at hers, confused for a minute. Then she held it up to her nose.

"It's peppermint," she said.

"Mine's is gingerbread," said Callie.

"It's the invitation to the Christmas party," said Brianna. She shook her head. "Don't ask me where they found the time to get these."

"I bet we have to go. It's required or something," said Callie tiredly. "It's always like that at these hospital things."

"Yeah," said Izzie. "Great. Now I need something to wear."

Callie looked at her.

"What?" said Izzie. "You were so thinking the same thing."

"Izzie," Brianna interrupted. "Have you seen Meredith?"

"She's on Dr. Montgomery's service today, I think," said Izzie. "What's up?"

"Nothing…" said Brianna.

"Brianna, could I talk to you?" asked Callie.

"Sure," said Brianna. Izzie seemed to understand.

"I'm just going to go schedule that surgery," she said brightly, leaving the room.

"So," said Callie to Brianna (after Izzie had left, "can I first just say that I am so sorry."

Both of them burst into laughter. "That's okay," she said. "Though I think I have been scarred for life."

"It's such a gruesome sight!" exclaimed Callie. "Anyway," she continued, more serious, "I promise I won't say anything. George won't either. Your secret is safe with us."

"I know you won't intentionally say anything," said Brianna. "These things have a way of getting out."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that Izzie is halfway to George right now, ready to beat the truth out of him."

Callie rolled her eyes. "I'm going to win the bet. So, how did you get out of there without both of them knowing?"

"I didn't. Mark helped me get out."

"You mean that he knows and she doesn't?"

"Yes."

"Are you planning on telling her?"

"You want me to discuss my aunt's sex life with her?"

"Okay. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying that she might appreciate it if you gave her a little heads up."

"I'll try," said Brianna. "Alright?"

"That's all I'm asking."

"You're going to the party, right?"

"Fine," she said huffily. "Only because I feel so sorry for you."

"That's all I'm asking."

* * *

_Strings of streetlights, even stoplights, _

_Blink a bright red and green,_

_As the shoppers rush home with their treasures..._

_Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch, _

_This is Santa's big scene, and above all this bustle, you hear_

"Addison, we need to talk."

Addison whirled around as Mark and Brianna looked at each other. They had said the exact same thing at the exact same time. She knew something was wrong. Mark practically shuddered at the sight of Brianna, like she knew something that he wished she hadn't. Brianna's eyes got huge and dropped to the floor.

"It's alright. Bree can go first," sighed Mark. "I think I have a surgery scheduled today anyway."

"Thank you," said Brianna. Mark practically ran away.

"What's up?" asked Addison. "There's a case coming in today, but I'm in no big hurry, especially if you want to talk about you walking in on us this morning."

Brianna coughed. "How did you know?"

Addison smiled. "I wouldn't be as good as I was if I didn't know these things. Come on, let's sit down," she said, blushing despite her calm voice. "Tell me how you feel. I am so sorry. It wasn't supposed to happen that way."

"I should have knocked."

"You shouldn't have to knock," said Addison. "I'm supposed to be taking care of you. I'm sorry. I was just…really upset and he…was so nice and…Mark…ugh. I have got to stop doing this."

"It could have been worse," offered Brianna. "I've seen worse."

Addison looked at her for a while, gave her head a little shake, and then blinked a couple of times. "From who?"

"My mother, my friends at school…"

Addison have her a look.

"Well, not ME," said Brianna. "No, I just go to these really weird parties. You never went to those?"

Addison nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I went to a couple my senior year."

"So is this going to happen more often?" asked Brianna. "Because if it is, I'd like to know so I can um…plan beforehand."

Addison leaned forward and put her face in her hands. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you. I can't believe I'm having this conversation period."

"Are you going to laugh or cry? I can't tell," laughed Brianna, putting on hand on Addison's head.

"I haven't decided yet," she laughed.

"Well, the main reason I did want to tell you was because…well, Callie and George were outside the door and they know pretty much all that went down."

"Dr. Torres and Dr. O'Malley are back together?"

"Yes…no…how am I supposed to know?"

Addison shook her head. "I have no idea. I'm so confused. What about…if you have the slightest notion that he's coming over, you just go stay with Derek. He's family too."

"He's family in the most bizarre way. Just like Meredith. She's family in the most bizarre way. Is Mark going to be family too? Because you know, that would just complete the circle."

"Shut up," said Addison, blushing.

"Alright," said Brianna. "I can honestly say that this is the most awkward conversation ever. Let's not talk about it again. Ever."

"Deal," said Addison. "You know that you can always talk to me though, right?"

"Of course," said Brianna.

They shared a smile.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" cried Brianna. She took an envelope from the basket at the side. "Here you go."

"Aw…I was hoping he would forget these," said Addison, frowning down at the Santa-covered envelope.

"What is it with you doctors and Christmas parties?" asked Brianna. "You must be the most boring people ever."

"It's not that we're boring…it's that…these things get a little too eventful," said Addison, sniffing the envelope. She looked back at Brianna. "It's snow-scented."

"How the heck do you snow-scent something?"

Addison handed her the envelope.

Brianna sniffed. "You have got to be kidding me."

"This is why you stay in school," said Addison, smiling brightly.

* * *

_You hear silver bells, silver bells,_

_It's Christmas time in the city,_

_Hear the bells go ring-a-ling, _

_Hear them ring, hear them ring..._

George ripped open the invitation along with Alex and Izzie. "If mine has snowmen on it, how does that lead to making it smell like chicken noodle soup?" he asked, sniffing the letter.

"It does not," said Izzie. "Give it to me." She sniffed. "Okay, that's ridiculous. Alex, smell this."

"It really does," he said, sniffing it and handing it back to George. "Mine is cinnamon."

"Mine is Christmas trees," said Izzie.

"I feel like Charlie Brown," said George.

"Hey guys," said Meredith, walking in behind Christina. "What's your scent?"

"Is that the new pickup line now?" asked Izzie, smirking. "I have Pine."

"Cinnamon," said Alex.

"Chicken noodle soup," said George, laughing.

Christina raised an eyebrow. "I got chestnuts roasting on an open fire."

"Seriously? Gimme," said Izzie, taking a whiff. "Wow."

"I got pumpkin pie," said Meredith.

"I feel like crashing the Christmas party," said Alex idly. "Anyone want in? Have you ever tried party-crashing before? I think we'd be good at it."

"No," said Meredith. Then, she said it again after seeing everyone perk up. "No way!"

"Oh come on, Meredith," said George. "You know you want to."

Meredith looked at him. "She's got that look on her face!" announced George. "She's in."

"Sometimes I think there's a very fine line between high school and surgical internship," said Christina.

"Don't talk to me about lines," said Meredith. "I know all about them."

"I scheduled Melchior's surgery today," said George. "He has a rock embedded in his arm and a branch coming out of his side near his hip. Poor guy."

"I scheduled Balty's surgery," said Alex. "Shepherd's going in experimentally."

"I think it would suck if we ended up killing the three Kings right before Christmas," said George.

"At least their surgeries aren't that extensive," said Meredith. "I think I remember Dr. Montgomery telling me about…" They were interrupted by a beeper. Everyone checked.

"It's mine," announced Meredith. "I have to go."

"I need to get back to the pit," said Christina. "I'm swamped."

Izzie and Alex turned to George. "So," said Izzie, "we hear that you saw some action last night. Do tell." She and Alex closed in around George.

"You can't double-team me!" said George. "That's not fair. Since when are you guys a team?"

"George is annoying Izzie," said Izzie. "Would Alex help?"

"Alex would be happy to help," he said, trying not to laugh.

"Oh, crap," said George.

* * *

"Dr. Montgomery?" said Meredith expectantly. She had answered the page. 

"Dr. Grey," said Addison. "I have a case for you. Come with me." She started down the hall and ran into Mark. Meredith tried not to laugh as they tried to get past each other, but every time Mark stepped to the right, Addison stepped to her left. It was taking a ridiculously long time.

"Wait," said Addison. "We'll both go right." They stepped past each other.

"I need to talk to you," said Mark.

"Later!" she said, and kept on walking.

Meredith wanted to say that it looked a lot like a dance, but she didn't.

"Sorry about that, Dr. Grey," she said, almost giggling.

"Not a problem," giggled Meredith.

Addison gave her a look. Meredith smiled back at her sweetly. Fortunately, they were at the parents' room. Addison handed her the chart.

"Why don't you present?"

"Mary Nazar, 19, admitted last night because of abdominal pain. She has a high-risk pregnancy…" She trailed off as Addison cut her off.

"Very good. Okay, Mrs. Nazar…"

"Call me Mary."

"Mary, then. This is Dr. Grey, surgical intern. She's going to be helping me with you and your baby."

"It's nice to meet you," she said softly. Meredith had to admit that even though this woman looked like she hadn't slept all night, she was slightly jealous of her beauty. She smiled back.

"This is Joseph," she said, gesturing to the man beside her. "Yes, I know what you're thinking."

"Mary and Joseph," smiled Addison. "Four days away from Christmas."

"How ironic," murmured Meredith.

"Well," said Addison briskly, "Dr. Grey is going to take you in for an ultrasound, and we'll go from there." She looked pointedly at Meredith.

"Right," she said. "I'll be right back."

"Addison," said Mark exasperatedly. She was walking quickly down the hallway, and he was starting to have to jog to keep up. "If you're not going to talk to me, that's fine. At least give me some indication."

Addison whirled around. "Do you want to have lunch with me?"

"What?"

"You. Me. One o'clock in the courtyard."

"Seriously?"

Addison laughed lightly, briefly placing a hand on his shoulder before turning to walk away.

"And you said you wouldn't like Seattle. You're becoming more like us every day."

"Shut up."

_Soon it will be Christmas Day..._

* * *

**Lucky Bear needs a hug!!!**


	13. NOT Your Average Christmas Party

**I am so sorry I haven't updated in a while! I had these chapters all written and I was going to post them all at once, but then my computer crashed and I lost them. So please forgive my lateness, but I'm going to get these out. I promise. Lucky Bear told me to tell you that she misses all of you!!!**

**Anyway, this is the beginning of the Christmas Party. I think you'll like it. :)**

* * *

"Christina!" exclaimed Meredith. "I found you!!!" 

Christina looked up. "I just spent three hours doing cleanup duty for a guy who was throwing up all over the place. Am I wearing a sign that says 'babysitter'? Because I am a SURGEON. Why the hell won't they just let me be one?"

Meredith sat down next to her. "When are you off?"

Christina looked up. "Fifteen minutes ago. I don't want to move."

"Well, you better. I need you to do something."

"What?"

"I need a dress for the party tonight, and seeing as I can't bend over or do too much of anything, you have to take me shopping."

"Meredith, I am your best friend. That being said, there is no way in hell I'm shopping."

"Please Christina? We can get something for you too. I just need one…there's no way I'm wearing my prom dress ever again…"

Christina sighed. "Fine…I'll go get dressed. But you're not getting any frilly crap, got it?"

Meredith let out a "psh". "Duh…I'm not your best friend for nothing."

* * *

Mark sat down next to Addison with his tray. Neither of them were really feeling like eating anything, so the trays were subconsciously pushed to the side, a formality. 

"How are you?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm good," she said. "It's one of those days where you feel like you're not moving fast enough."

"I get that," he said.

"So do you want to talk about this?" she asked. "This whole friends with benefits thing is getting really old."

"I agree," he said. "What do you want to do about it?"

She pursed her lips, not answering. She knew what she wanted. She knew what he wanted. She was just scared to death of putting it out there, and she met his eyes, pleading him to take her out of this situation.

"That party thing is tonight, right?" he asked.

She laughed. "That was random. Yes, it is."

"We could go together."

She laughed harder. "I don't think dates are necessary for this."

"I know, but it could be…symbolic. I don't know, since you're so into that."

She grinned and nodded slowly.

"I'll pick you up at…"

"Seven," she said, with that Satan-Addison look on his face that he loved.

"Okay."

"Okay."

* * *

"Mr.-I mean Balty," said Derek, walking into the room, your CT shows that you've damaged your tibial nerve. It also shows that we might be able to fix it." 

"Well, that's good," he said serenely.

"Karev, get Balty prepped for surgery. Don't worry. You'll be out before the party starts."

Alex looked at Derek and rolled his eyes.

"Hey, it's part of being a surgeon. You do the job, you make pitiful attempts at having a social life."

"I have a social life on my own, thank you."

"I've heard," said Derek, laughing to himself as he exited the room.

"Is there a party tonight?" asked Balty. "I like parties."

"Not this one," said Alex.

"Says who?" asked Balty.

"It's a hospital Christmas party," said Alex. He lowered his voice. "It's boring."

"You don't have to make it that way," he shrugged.

* * *

"What about this one?" Meredith asked. 

"I hate it."

"This one?"

"No."

"Christina, you're not even looking."

"You picked out a dress. I'm not picking one out."

"So what are you wearing?"

"I'll find something…"

Meredith quickly turned around, shoved Christina into the dressing room, and shut the door.

Christina banged on the door. "Let me out!"

"No," said Meredith. "Either you pick out a dress or you're not leaving. This is for your own good. I'm not having my friend show up in something she just 'found'."

"You're evil."

"Thank you. Now pick out a dress."

* * *

"Hey," said Brianna to Alex. "What are you doing here so early?" The lobby of the hospital had been beautifully decorated with every Christmas decoration imaginable. 

"What?" asked Alex, looking far too guilty. "I'm doing nothing. What are you doing here?"

"I'm just finishing up the decorations," said Brianna. "I've been doing this all day."

"YOU did this?" asked Alex. "It looks really good."

"Back home I had to get my money somehow," she shrugged. "It wasn't that hard. But you're not answering me. What are you doing?"

"I guess you could say I'm helping put the finishing touches on the party too," he said.

She looked behind his back. "Vodka?" she asked. "You're going to spike the punch? That's so clique. You do know it's a family party, right?"

"Everyone does this at these parties," said Alex. "Have I ever told you about Halloween?"

Brianna laughed. "No, but I'll have to hear about it sometime."

"But what are you doing?" asked Alex as Brianna grabbed a chair. "Mistletoe?"

She giggled. "I have an evil side, you know."

"Just like someone else I know," said Alex.

"Oh, come on…deep down, you like my aunt. And her specialty."

He rolled his eyes. "If I say yes, will you stop making it so obvious that we're crashing the Christmas party? Anyone walking by here would think something's up."

Brianna grinned. "Actually, I have to go. Where're the rest of your friends?"

"They're riding up here together," said Alex. "I have no idea what they're doing. Where are you going?"

"I'm helping Addison get ready for the party. Poor thing wasn't able to leave work today. You better not get caught with the vodka."

"Please," said Alex, "I'm not stupid."

"I'm not worried. I'm sure you've done this many times before." She smirked at him before walking away.

* * *

"Which one of us decided to let Izzie sit in the front again?" asked Christina. "Because whoever it is better get out of the car fast; I'm going to kick your ass." 

Izzie was currently sitting in the passenger seat, blasting Christmas songs on the radio.

"Izzie, turn it down please?" asked George. Izzie turned the button a microscopic degree, and kept right on bobbing her head and singing.

"I can't believe you bought that dress," said Meredith, looking at Christina.

George stifled a snigger. Christina glared at him. "I'm not taking off my jacket so you' might as well keep on dreaming, creep," she snapped.

"One peek," he pleaded.

"Come on, Christina," said Meredith. "I liked that dress. You did too."

"The only reason I bought this was because you were practically sitting on the door so I couldn't get out. Izzie, back me up here."

"They're singing deck the halls," Izzie sang, "and it's not like Christmas at all…"

"She's gone," said George. Meredith rolled her eyes. "You have to take it off at some point."

"No," said Christina. "I'll die of heat stroke. I'm not taking this off."

Just then, Izzie caught Meredith's eye and Meredith realized what she was doing. The song on the radio changed.

"I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus," Izzie warbled.

"Oh, God, Izzie, if I take this off will you STOP singing?" yelled Christina over the music, which had mysteriously grown louder.

"Yes, Christina…underneath the mistletoe last night," she went on.

Christina quickly unzipped her jacket and then zipped it back up.

"Oh my God," said Izzie. "That it the most gorgeous dress I've ever seen."

"It's PINK!" hooted George, laughing so hard he couldn't get much else out after that.

"Shut up," snapped Christina. "It looks more like…"

"Something I would wear?" asked Izzie.

"Hey," said Meredith. "I like the dress. I picked it out. Don't diss it."

"Thank you, Meredith," said Christina.

"Besides, we're here," said Meredith. They pulled into the hospital, got out, and went inside.

"Whoa," said Izzie. Alex walked over.

"Brianna did it all herself," he said. "Nice dress."

"Thank you," said Izzie, touching the red material. "I thought it looked festive."

"Where is Brianna?" asked Meredith. Alex looked up and started laughing.

"I'd get out of here if I were you," said Izzie. "There's mistletoe above your head."

Meredith jumped out like she was standing on hot coals. "What the hell?"

"There's a discussion we could have," came a voice from behind all of them. They jumped.

"Jonah!" said Izzie. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she said. She was dressed in a floor-length silver gown. It was halter, but the strings were barely visible on account of her diamond necklace. "My hand's almost healed and I get to go back to surgery soon."

"So what about the discussion?" asked Meredith. Christina was already making her way over to the buffet table. "Christina!"

"Hey, if I have to be here, might as well take advantage of the freebies," she said. Meredith shook her head.

"Oh," said Alex, "she's talking about the rules. Like, if two girls are under, do they have to kiss?"

"And all that jazz," said Jonah. "Where's the little redhead?"

"She's with the big redhead," joked Alex.

Christina suddenly let out a shout at the buffet table. "Alex Karev…did you spike the punch?"

Alex held back a laugh.

"Thank God," said Christina, downing a glass. "I don't know what I'd do without this."

"Was the mistletoe your idea too?" asked Izzie.

"It was Brianna's," he said.

"Is she going to get here soon?" asked Jonah. "I kind of liked her."

"She's with Addison," said Meredith. "I have no idea how long that's going to take."

* * *

"Addison?" called out Brianna, stepping into the bathroom. "Are you here?" 

"I'm over here!" she called from the stall at the end.

Brianna passed over her dress and her shoes. "Sorry I took so long. I was decorating the lobby."

"That's fine," said Addison. She came out a few minutes later.

"Where's Mark?"

"He's waiting outside somewhere…getting impatient," she laughed. "I told him that Prince Charming was never impatient and hung up the phone."

"Aw, he's your Prince Charming?"

"I don't know about that," said Addison, "but it shut him up."

Both girls laughed. "I love that dress," said Brianna. "I think you have a thing for the color green."

"It's just for Christmas," Addison said, leaning over to fix her makeup in the mirror. "Oh, that reminds me…" She went back into the stall. "I bought this for you the other day. It's nothing much, but I know that when you came you didn't pack for any parties…" She handed Brianna a white dress covered in black lace. It was short, but the skirt puffed out. Brianna's eyes couldn't have gotten any wider.

"Oh my God, thank you! This is the best Christmas present ever!"

"Whoa," laughed Addison, "careful." She smoothed her dress, then hugged Brianna anyway. "Put it on. I have to go before Mark dies of boredom…which should be in about…five seconds." She laughed. "He's such a child."

"Oh, right. Go, go," said Brianna, almost pushing Addison toward the door.

Just then, the door burst open. It was Callie.

"Hey," she said to Addison. "I'm sorry, but if Mark asks me where you two are one more time, I'm seriously going to have to kick his ass. So in the best interest of your date," she said, putting emphasis on 'date', "I'd say you need to go. Right now."

"Sorry, Callie," said Addison, hurrying out of the room.

"Nice dress, kid," said Callie. "Did she buy that for you?" Brianna nodded. "Well, go put it on," said Callie. "I'll help zip you up."

"Thanks," said Brianna, hurrying into the bathroom. "I like your dress, by the way."

Callie smiled. "Thanks," she said, looking down at the turquoise material. "I don't know why I made such an effort. It's a hospital Christmas party."

"I'm not so sure that it's going to be the same this time," said Brianna innocently.

* * *

By the time Derek, Burke, Bailey, and the Chief had arrived, the mistletoe rules had been decided on: only TWO people and you could kiss according to your sexual preference (they had laughed a long time after that one). 

The party still hadn't started yet.

"What's this sign?" asked Christina. She looked at the paper hanging off the chair. "Reserved for Santa? Oh no."

"I hate Santa," said George quickly. Izzie stared at him.

"It's a family party," said Bailey testily. "Naturally, we are going to have some activities suitable for children. Naturally, I wouldn't expect you to know anything about that."

"I had bad experience with Santa," said George, shuddering.

Everyone looked at him. "I'm not telling you!" he said.

"George," whined Izzie.

"Get some alcohol into him," whispered Meredith. "He'll talk-ah!" Derek had yanked her under the mistletoe.

"For the record," she said to him, eyes narrowed, "I completely disapprove of this holiday tradition."

"I'll make a note of that," he said, kissing her.

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Just make sure that you don't do anything in front of my son that you wouldn't do in front of me."

"Your family's coming?" Burke asked.

"Yes," she said, before going to the buffet table.

"You do realize that once she has the punch, she's going to know what you did, right?" Izzie asked Alex.

"She won't know who did it."

"She'll make Monday hell for us though," said Meredith.

"It'll be worth it," Alex promised.

Christina looked at him. "I'm going to get alco-I mean punch," she said, before going to get some.

Burke followed her. "I think I'd better watch her."

Meredith giggled. "I doubt that will do much good."

* * *

Addison snuck behind Mark and put her hands over his eyes. 

"I heard you were getting impatient," she whispered into his ear.

He turned around, annoyed. "You kept me…wow."

Addison smirked. "I didn't keep you waiting for nothing. You don't look so bad yourself." She twirled in a circle. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Mark stifled a laugh before they walked together in to the lobby.

"It looks great," he remarked.

"Lydia taught Brianna well," she remarked with a grin. "I've got to remember to tell her when I see her."

"When will that be?" he asked her.

Addison was silent for a while with a smile on her face. "It's…sooner than you think," she said.

"Is she going to be here for Christmas?" he asked.

Addison pouted playfully. "I thought you didn't like my sister anymore."

"I don't," said Mark, making it perfectly clear. "I do, however, like your niece."

"I don't know whether or not I should be worried by that statement," she remarked. Mark stopped suddenly, causing her to bump into him. "What?" she asked.

"Look up," he said. Addison looked and smiled. "It's mistletoe."

"Now, what should we do about this?" Mark asked her, eyebrow raised.

"I don't know," Addison said, smirking and taking a step forward toward him. "I do love Christmas…"

"Yeah?" asked Mark, inches between them.

"Yeah," said Addison, before he closed the distance between them.

* * *

On the other side of the room... 

Christina spit out her drink. "Oh my God. Look over there."

Everyone turned to look. Izzie started laughing. "So, the rumors ARE true."

Bailey turned around. "I think Addison and I are going to have a very long talk." She spotted her husband across the room. "Later, then," she said, before turning around. "Please don't do anything stupid. I know that's hard for you, but one night shouldn't be that hard, right?"

The Chief came up to the interns. "We have a problem."

Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie, and Christina all looked at him expectantly.

"Our Santa just cancelled. We need a volunteer to get into the suit. And, since you're interns, it has to be one of you."

* * *

**Hmm...would not like to be an intern right now. Who will it be? Want to guess? Lucky Bear's waiting:D**


	14. Santa? Satan? Which One?

**Hey Everyone! Basically I went on this awesome choir trip to DC and am drowning in makeup work, but I did make sure to give you this little tidbit...hope you like it!!! And give Lucky Bear a hug for me!!!**

**Oh, and in case you forgot (like you would), I don't own any of this. That would be Shonda...and all those other cool people...:D**

* * *

Addison and Mark joined Burke and Derek by the buffet table.

"What's going on?" asked Addison, looking at the five interns. Their expressions were almost comical, so full of horror.

"Santa didn't show," said Burke. "One of them has to suit up."

"I do not miss being an intern," said Mark.

"So," said Derek, trying to sound nonchalant and not succeeding, "You two…are together?"

"That's none of your business," said Mark. Addison put a hand on his arm. "It's fine," she said, before looking at Derek. "He's my date," she said, laughing a little with a note of finality that told everyone that the conversation was finished.

Derek looked at the interns, apparently unbothered. "It's going to be either Karev or O'Malley," he said.

Addison laughed. "I think we all know who it's going to be."

* * *

Back with the Chief, all three girls had stepped back, hands raised.

"I'm too small to be Santa," said Meredith. "And I'm not cheery. I'd probably make the kid cry."

"I'm a girl," said Izzie. "Can you imagine what would happen if the kid found out? We're talking major life scars here."

"I'm Jewish. And drunk. I'm drunk," said Christina simply, downing more punch.

The Chief pointedly ignored her comment (he'd rather not know what was going on), and turned to Alex and George.

"There's only one way to figure this out."

"Is it another slap fight?" asked George.

"Dude, I refuse to do that again. I'm sorry," cut in Alex.

"No," said the Chief. "And it's called _open-handed combat. _I'm talking paper, scissors, rock."

"I am really glad I'm a girl right now," said Christina. "Can I just say that? I said it. Hey, Mer, want some?" She held out her drink.

"I think I want to be sober for this," Meredith replied. "We'll drink later. After Georgie puts on the Santa costume."

"One, two, three...paper, scissors, rock."

"I win," grinned Alex. "Paper covers rock, O'Malley. Say hi to the kids for me."

"Oh, crap," said George.

Izzie took one look at the results and lost it.

"What happened?" asked Christina, between drinks.

"George is Santa," Meredith informed her.

"Oh." There was a pause before both started laughing hysterically.

"God hates me," George said, "and this so proves it."

"I believe you," said Izzie. "I call helping him get dressed!"

"Aw, man," said Meredith. "That's not fair."

"I'll tell you what's not fair," said Bailey suddenly. Everyone jumped, forgetting she was there.

"Nurse Debbie's grandkids are here."

"What?" asked Burke.

"Who's Debbie?" asked Mark.

"Oh, God, don't tell me you don't know who Debbie is," said Alex. "Dude, if Seattle Grace were a grapevine...which it well, is...she'd be the roots. She spreads gossip like..."

"That's it," said Burke. "I'm leaving."

"Too late," sighed Bailey. "They're already here. I never thought I'd say this, but I feel sorry for O'Malley. I'm going to go protect my son." She ran off, moving surprisingly fast even for Bailey.

"Mom! Mom!" yelled one of three kids that entered the room. "Where's Santa? I WANT SANTA!"

"COOKIES!" screamed the second one.

"Where's the reindeer, Mommy? You promised there would be reindeer. WAAHHHHH!!!" She sat on the floor and started trowing a temper tantrum.

"This is why I hate kids," said Christina.

"I'm going to go with Bailey on this one," said Meredith. "Yick."

* * *

On the other side of the room, the three attendings were completely ignorant to the incoming terrors.

"I knew it would be O'Malley," said Addison. "Based on the way the world works...it's that simple."

"Have you ever noticed 'Santa' and 'Satan' use the same letters?" asked Derek.

"Yes," the other two replied simultaneously.

"Addi-oh hi," said Brianna. "Funny to see all of you here. Listen...I hear that these terror kids are coming, and I'm supposed to warn you."

"OW!" they heard a voice shout.

"Dang it, I'm too late," said Brianna.

The yell had come from Callie, who currently had a kid attached to her hair.

"I want Santa! I want Santa!" the kid yelled.

The three attendings and teenager stood in shock.

"Who is that?" whispered Addison.

"Nurse Debbie's grandkids..." said Burke, flinching. "Last year they made Santa and a couple of the interns cry."

"Why are we whispering?" asked Mark.

"Shhh..." she hissed. "She might hear you...Debbie."

"That's...Bobby," said Brianna, looking quite frightened herself. "The one on the floor is Jill, and the one scarfing down the cookies is Paulie."

"With names like that, no wonder they're corrupted," said Mark. Addison smacked him. "What?" he said.

Brianna sighed. "Looks like I'm taking one for the team," she said, walking toward the kids.

"She's a martyr," said Derek. "I love that kid."

"She's fifteen, Derek," said Addison. "She's not a kid. God, she deserves so much more than she's getting."

"I'll agree to that," said Derek.

* * *

"Izzie, you're hurting me! Stop!" cried George. They stood in the hallway closet, Izzie (now in an elf costume that had come with the Santa suit) trying to shove a large pillow down the front of "Santa".

"Hey," said Izzie, "I've done this before. It's going to hurt, but that's just the way it is."

"I can't breathe," said George. His face was muffled by the beard that the enormous amount of stuffing that hadn't gone all the way into the costume.

"I can't get this in," said Izzie. "Just...hold on, I think I know how I can make this work, okay?"

"Iz, what are you going to-"

At that moment, Callie opened the door in time to see Izzie take a running leap and pin George against the wall.

"I got it!" she yelled, doing a little victory dance while still holding onto George.

Callie stared.

"Hi, Callie," said George. Izzie dropped to the floor.

"I um, was helping him get into his costume..." she said.

"Santa getting it on with an elf," said Callie.

"Oh, God," groaned George. "That is wrong on so many levels. Someone help me up."

Izzie tossed Callie a red bag and went to help George get up.

"What's this?" asked Callie.

"It's the Mrs. Claus costume," said Izzie. "Put it on."

"Seriously?"

"Sure," said Izzie. "I mean, I could get someone else, but you know...you kind of came in here so...yeah."

Callie opened the bag.

"What the hell are we doing?" moaned George.

* * *

**Ah, George, you put it oh-so-well. Will Debbie's grandkids wreak havoc on Seattle Grace? inserts tacky, cheesy, overly dramatic cliffhanger music**


	15. Christmas Revenge

**Okay! This took me a week to write and then I lost it, so I couldn't transfer it. But I finally found it, and I'm really going to try and finish this. This is a pretty fun chapter, so enjoy!!!**

**

* * *

**"Hey kids," said Brianna, approaching the three kids on the floor. They didn't appear to hear her and went on screaming. 

"Santa!" she yelled. They quieted down long enough for her to start talking and cut them off.

"I'm going to get Santa, but he's only going to come out if YOU'RE QUIET."

The tree kids quickly got up and stood in line (in front of the other kids, of course).

"Okay," said Brianna. She exhaled. Part One had gone smoothly. "Where's Santa?" she mouthed to Alex.

"You mean Bambi?" giggled Christina.

"They're in the closet," Alex mouthed back. Meredith covered Christina's mouth with her hands. "Got a plan?" she asked.

"Maybe," said Brianna. "I'll be right back."

"I'll get my camera," said Meredith.

* * *

Brianna burst open the door to see Izzie the Elf zippering Mrs. Callie Claus's dress. "Oh, God," she giggled, grabbing onto the wall so she could laugh. 

"Oh, shut up," said George. "This is all the Chief's fault. If I ever find that Santa, I am so kicking his jolly ass."

"Does this spandex make me look fat?" asked Izzie. "Come on, you can be honest."

"Let's just get this over with," sighed Callie, fitting a pair of glasses over her face.

"Okay, now you're going to have to do these three little kids first."

Callie put her hair up in a bun and covered it with her Santa hat. "You want us to play Santa to the Devil Incarnates?" asked Callie. "God help us."

"I do have a plan," said Brianna. "Here's what you do…"

* * *

"This music sucks," complained Meredith. "Does anyone have an iPod?" 

Christina, slightly off-balance, felt around her hips. "No pocket in the dress. Where would I put it? I look like Polly Pocket. Polly Pocket with no pockets. Do you remember Polly Pocket? I choked on one when I was little. I almost died."

"I'm going to find someone with better music," said Meredith. "Christina, just sit and try not to hurt anyone, okay?"

Christina plopped into a chair. "Okay!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"I'm going to have to start drinking soon," said Alex. "Now's as good of a time as any."

They started to walk out of the room. Meredith stopped short. "Don't follow me." Alex ran into her, causing both of them to stumble forward. "Why?"

"We're in the doorway," sighed Meredith." Alex looked up.

"Oh." He looked around. "Well, now what do we do?"

"Damn mistletoe," muttered Meredith. "This was all your idea. You'd think you'd have the decency to remember where you put it."

"It was Brianna's idea," corrected Alex. He could see four attendings watching them closely. They were stuck.

"Crap. Just what I need," said Meredith. "Thanks, Alex. I'll never live this down."

"You have to do it," sang Christina, cackling from the other side of the room. She was very loud.

"On the count of three, we do it," said Alex. "We never speak of this again."

"Got it," said Meredith. "One…two…three." They closed their eyes, ducked in, and ducked out as fast as they could. Somewhere on the left, they saw a flash.

"Christina!" they exclaimed.

"Hey, I want to remember this when I'm sober," she said. "Thanks for the camera, Mer."

"If I kill her while she's drunk, is that taking advantage of her?" Meredith asked.

"No," said Alex, "I don't believe it is. I'll even do it for you."

"But I can't," sighed Meredith. "We're even now for me making her wear that pink dress."

"You're such a girl," taunted Alex.

"Damn right I am," said Meredith. "I'd show some respect. After all, if it weren't for us…" She gave him a look. "Now, I have to talk to my boyfriend. Excuse me."

On the other side of the room, Derek was trying not to laugh.

"Shut up," said Meredith. "it was an accident. I told him to stop, but he didn't hear me."

"It's alright," said Derek. "I think you've been punished enough. Christina's sending me that picture."

They looked across the room. Christina was gave them a thumbs-up with a huge smile across her face.

"Aw," said Meredith. "There's got to be some way I can make you change your mind."

He kissed her. "Are we good?" she asked.

"One more." They kissed again before they were interrupted by Brianna and a large box of Santa hats.

"Put them on," she said. "Don't ask questions. This all has to be timed perfectly."

They each took a hat. "Nice Eskimo kiss, by the way," Brianna remarked. "It was very cute, Meredith." Meredith coughed, and Brianna took a deep breath. "Okay. Here I go. Are those three kids' mothers here?"

"No," said Derek. "Apparently it's Grandma Debbie's weekend for the kids."

"Oh, God," said Meredith, covering her face. "Bad images…bad images…"

"Well, that's good," said Brianna, shaking her head a bit. "I'll be right back." Meredith walked until she was near Santa's chair. Derek followed. "What are we doing?" he asked. She poised her camera. "We're going to see the show."

* * *

"I'm never going to live this down," moaned George. He walked through the party, striking a delicate balance between trying to get to the chair quickly and trying not to fall over 

"At least you have a beard to hide behind," muttered Callie. "These glasses are not helping."

Izzie didn't seem to mind as she leapt joyfully behind them.

"Izzie's whole life has led up to this moment," joked George as they (finally) got to the Santa chair.

Brianna (now wearing a tiara and carrying a magic wand) stood in front of the children, Debbie's grandkids included. "Okay," she said, "Now remember: go up, be polite, and tell Santa what you want for Christmas. When you're finished, Pierre is going to take a picture for you, and then Santa will give you a little present. But make sure you're nice, or Santa might not give you a present. Any questions?"

A little girl raised her hand. "What are you supposed to be?"

"I'm a snow angel," Brianna answered. "Okay, who's going to be first? You're first," she said, taking a little girl's hand. "What's your name?"

"My name's Nadia," the little girl whispered.

Brianna picked her up and sat her on Santa's lap.

"Hello, Nadia," said George, trying to sound Santa-like. "Have you been a good girl this year?"

Nadia nodded, a little nervous.

"What would you like for Christmas?"

"I want a teddy bear and a puppy and a Bratz doll like my friend Jenny."

George nodded. "Look over here!" Diana, a nurse (probably her mother), called. Nadia and the three costumed doctors smiled as she took a picture.

"Mrs. Claus made some treats for you," said George. Callie handed her a bag of candy. "My special elf here has a present for you." Izzie gave her the wrapped box.

The girl hopped off his lap.

"Say 'Thank you, Santa'," instructed her mother.

"Thank you, Santa!" the girl said enthusiastically.

"Who's next?" All three of the Devil Incarnates tried to push to the front of the line.

"No pushing!" said Brianna. "You can all go up together." She grouped them around Santa. Izzie shoved Santa's bag between herself and the children as a bit of a shield. Callie stepped back, patting her hair, and Brianna swore she heard George gulp.

"Have you been good this year?" asked George with effort.

"Yeah, where's my present?" snapped Bobby.

"Don't be greedy," warned Brianna.

"What does it matter?" he shot back. "We always get presents anyway."

"Actually," said Izzie, right on cue, "Santa does have something here just for you." She picked up three paper bags out of the sack.

Callie suddenly fell into a laughing fit poorly disguised as a cough. Izzie stepped on her toe.

"Are you okay, dear?" asked George, perfectly in character.

She nodded, trying to breathe normally.

The tree children greedily ripped open their bags, in which Brianna had placed the black rocks she'd found outside.

"What's this?" yelled Paulie.

"You've never seen coal before?" asked George.

Meredith snapped a picture of the three kids' faces as they screamed and started crying right where they were. The girl looked around at the vast number of people wearing Santa hats and ran to her grandmother.

"I want to go home!" yelled Jill.

"Oh, for crying out loud," said Debbie. "Go outside if you don't want to stay." The girl sniffled loudly before all three went to wait in the hall.

"I think you've scarred them for life," Jonah mused to Brianna. Brianna jumped. "Sorry, I had to pick up my boyfriend Chris."

"Nice to meet you, Chris," said Brianna.

"Likewise," he said, shaking her hand firmly. He looked at Jonah. "You know, if you want, I could go make sure those kids don't get run over or something." She nodded and he left.

"Very nice," remarked Brianna, gesturing toward Chris.

"I know…isn't he?" Jonah answered. "I love him. He's great. God, this music sucks."

"I know, right?" interrupted Meredith. "I've been looking for an iPod."

"It's taken care of," said Mark. "Addison just went to stick her Christmas CD in the player. Nice job, Brianna, but seriously, snow angel?"

"Thank you," she said. The group of people began to disperse. "And I found the tiara in the closet. Isn't it pretty?"

"Santa Baby" suddenly took over the speakers.

"Thank, God…it's about time," said Jonah. "Where's Chris?" She went off to find him.

"This isn't really a Christmas song," said Meredith.

"Just for that, you're going to have to dance," said Derek.

"Christmas lover."

"Oh, come on…you don't like it even a little?"

"Well, I don't hate it," she said.

"Thank you." Despite her protests, she was letting him lead her to the dance floor.

"I thought you didn't dance in public."

"It doesn't count if we're in the corner," said Derek. "Besides, I thought you hated Christmas. Besides, we've never danced before."

"The last time I checked," said Meredith. "You weren't a huge fan of Christmas either. But this had better not mean that 'Santa Baby' is our song."

They looked at each other and started laughing. "No way," agreed Derek, sliding his arms around her waist, careful not to brush against her bruise.

* * *

"Twinkletoes," said Alex to Izzie, "are elves allowed to dance?" 

"Maybe," said Izzie, "but on one condition."

"What's that?"

"You have to wear the elf hat."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Fine." He switched his hat out.

* * *

On the other side of the room, Addison looked sideways at Mark. 

"Did you school ever have Christmas dances?" she asked.

Mark rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Pitiful things."

"Okay, well…" She turned to him and patted down her hair, saying in a completely over-exaggerated nervous voice, "So do you want to dance? I mean, as friends…because…"

"…anything else would be weird, right?" Mark finished for her. "Oh, God. If I had a nickel for every time I'd heard someone say that…"

"I'm glad I'm not there anymore," said Addison.

"High school's no fun," said Mark. "Being an adult is so much better."

"And why is that?" she smirked.

"Because," he said, grinning, "adults can do things kids can't. And we don't have to feel guilty about it."

"So what are you saying?" She was forcing him to say it and he knew it.

"Do you want to dance?"

She answered him with a playful smile.

* * *

"Do you want to dance?" Christina asked Burke. 

"Not really."

"Good answer," she said, leaning her back against her chair.

* * *

The extremely whiny voice of the singer was interrupted by two beepers going off simultaneously. 

"You have got to be kidding me," said Derek, looking at his. Alex, standing right beside him, looked at his pager. "Balty?"

"I have to go," said Derek. "I need another intern."

Meredith looked sideways. "Yeah, I'm not exactly sober. Not to mention that I'm confined to Addison's case until I can touch my side without screaming."

"Stevens," said Derek, "put on a pair of scrubs and come with us."

"Mer, make sure my dress gets home, okay?" she asked, already trying to make her way quickly through the crowd. Meredith nodded. "Sure thing."

* * *

"Where are we going again?" Mark asked. 

"I'm thirsty," said Addison, "and I need to find Brianna. I am practically her mother, you know."

"I could use a drink," Mark agreed.

They walked through the doorway, letting Alex, Izzie, and Derek go first when Alex suddenly stepped on Izzie's elf shoe.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, tripping. Alex fell into her, and Addison tripped over Alex. Mark, annoyed, ended up getting pushed back.

"Sorry," apologized Izzie.

"Sorry," Alex repeated.

Derek turned around and started laughing. All three of them stood under the infamous mistletoe door.

"Grow up," Addison snapped at him.

"Hey, they need to hurry up. This guy needs surgery. Like now."

"Dr. Montgomery," said Alex, quickly pressing his lips to hers. He turned around to Izzie.

"We can do that later," he said, and she nodded, running with him and Derek off into the distance. Derek's laughs could be heard long after he had gone out of sight.

Addison turned around, rolling her eyes. "Do it. You know you want to."

Mark chuckled. "Two guys in less than five minutes?"

"You should talk," she retorted.

"You're right," he said, "but I'd rather not." They were about an inch away from each other.

"Nothing to say," she commented. "That's a first."

He stepped under the mistletoe but she quickly put her hand over his mouth and kissed it before walking away.

"Tease!" he called out to her, shaking his head.

She turned around wickedly. "That's what you get."

"That's not fair," he said. "You owe me now."

Addison smirked. "And I'll be expecting you to come collect." She continued to walk away. Mark turned around to see Christina with her cup of punch, laughing at him.

"Dude, you're so whipped."

"Shut up."

* * *

**Eh...I'll let your reviews do the talking. :D**


	16. A Little Bit of Faith

**At this rate, I'll be lucky to have this done by NEXT Christmas. Ahhh...but I'm going to do it!!! Because I think we're all in need of a little GA happiness (you do remember what that is, don't you?). And I think these poor doctors deserve a slightly happy Christmas together (was that so much to ask for, Shonda?). Anyway, I really like the dynamic of these characters, so I might have yet another sequel...because if Addison moves to LA, what will poor Brianna do? Anyway, read and let me know what you think. You guys are awesome.**

* * *

"I can't believe you did that," said Izzie, struggling into her scrubs. An elf shoe came flying out from behind the locker, and Alex caught it. 

"Are you done yet?"

"I mean, you kissed her…just like that. She's your boss. And my boss. That is so weird. I mean, were you thinking at all?"

"Izzie, can we please not talk about this now?" Izzie emerged from the lockers, fully dressed. Alex pulled some random tinsel out of her hair, and they jogged out of the room.

"Sloan was right there next to her. I bet he's going to kill you. Well, maybe he won't kill you. But you're going to have yourself one awkward situation. Were you thinking at all?"

"I'm thinking right now," he muttered. "I'm thinking I want to kill you."

"I love Christmas parties. This is a perfect example of why." Izzie was beaming as she walked into the room.

Derek saw both of them. "The rest of the doctors should be here soon. I'd dampen the enthusiasm a little, Stevens. Christmas can be a very touchy time for doctors. The only ones that are working usually do it because they don't have anyone to come home to."

Izzie nodded, before taking the sink Alex had.

"You're lucky," said Derek. "You've never spent Christmas at a hospital alone."

"Have you?" asked Alex.

"I have once," said Derek haltingly. He stopped as a flood of doctors rushed into the OR. "You ready?"

They both nodded.

"Let's give Balthazar his Christmas present."

* * *

"You're drunk," said George to Christina. 

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"You're in pain," said George to Meredith.

"I am not," protested Meredith, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. George stared at her dubiously. "It's my dress," she said. "It's rubbing against my side."

"It's time to go home," said George.

"Do you seriously expect us to take you seriously in that Santa suit?" asked Christina, laughing.

"And the hits just keep on coming," grumbled George. "I'll change. You happy?"

"Are you working tomorrow?" Meredith asked Christina.

"Nope."

"Me either," said Meredith. She got up out of the chair and immediately put her hands on her knees, bending over.

"Are you okay?" asked George.

Meredith looked up. "Yeah, I'm fine. George, do me a favor and get Izzie's dress out of the closet."

"Change while you're at it!" yelled Christina. George walked off, grumbling.

Meredith gestured Burke over. "Do me a favor and take her home, would you?"

"Don't worry about it," said Burke. "I got her."

"Bye, Meredith!" Christina called cheerfully. Meredith waved weakly from the stool. Brianna sat on the chair beside Meredith.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just wishing that I'd bought this dress in a size bigger and cut the tag out."

"I'm sorry."

"Where's your aunt?"

Brianna giggled, gesturing to her right. "I don't really know what they're doing. He's chasing her. Well, technically he's two steps behind her, so it's purely symbolic, but yeah…chasing. He's following her and she's pretending he doesn't exist."

"I am never letting Alex go near that punch ever again," said Meredith decisively.

Brianna giggled. "I don't think Alex caused this one. God, they're cute. I wish they'd be cute and take me home, though."

"Tired?" asked Meredith.

"Technically, my Christmas vacation starts today."

"Well, I wouldn't worry much. Addison will remember you. She's the kind of person who does things like that."

Brianna grinned. "I know. I don't want to say anything, though. They're just so cute."

Callie came up behind Brianna. "You okay, Grey?"

Meredith looked up. "I'm fine," she said, waving her hand.

"Well, I'm taking you home," said Callie to Brianna. "I don't know you very well, but I know that it's way too late for you to be out."

"She could stay with me," said Meredith. "That's not too big of a problem."

"I know," said Callie. "I'm going to drive you and George home. You're in no shape to drive, and…oh, George just got called in to surgery."

"How did you…"

Callie gestured toward Bailey, whose pager was going off. "It's their patient." Bailey sighed, turning to her husband to whisper in her ear. He nodded and they hugged briefly before he took Tucker home.

"Look away," muttered Meredith. She knew Bailey would kill them for witnessing that small display of affection.

"Are you sure you don't want someone to look at that?" Callie asked Meredith. "You've had it for almost three weeks."

"I'm fine," said Meredith.

"At least promise me you'll take something for it."

"I'm not taking Advil over a bruise."

"Your bruise is the size of the back of a shopping cart," said Callie. "And I've seen some pretty bad Black Friday injuries in my day. If you don't do it, I'll make you." She turned to Brianna. "I'm going to attempt to tell your aunt that you're going to Meredith's house. Now would not be a good time to be staying with her, I think…"

Meredith put a hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh. Brianna rolled her eyes and looked at Meredith. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I checked myself into here."

Meredith shook her head. "Let's just watch Callie try and interrupt those two."

* * *

Callie walked about half the distance she needed to cover to get to Mark and Addison, trying to figure out how she was going to do this without completely killing it for them. It was Christmas, and the girl deserved a little fun. And Callie was sure Addison would do the same thing for her. It was only right. She would consider it a Christmas present to her friend. Meanwhile, she watched them to see if there was a good moment she could butt in. 

Addison finally whirled around. "I'm sorry, did you want something?"

Mark smirked. Callie took the moment to hit speed dial on her phone. Addison's pager went off immediately. She (in perfect synchrony, thought Meredith) looked down at her pager and up at Callie confused. Callie pointed to Brianna and to the door. Addison nodded and turned back to Mark, who hadn't realized a thing. Callie turned around, a pleased smile on her face, and walked back to Meredith.

"You ready to go?" she asked. "Meredith, do you need me to carry you out?"

"That…was amazing," said Meredith. "I wish I could do that."

Callie shrugged. "You learn a couple of things, working at these drama hospitals. You'd probably be able to do it too. But you didn't answer my question."

"I can walk," said Meredith. She got up.

"You need help, Aunt Meredith?"

Meredith turned around, an expression somewhere between pleasant surprise and horror on her face. "I was just trying it out," said Brianna.

"Please call me Meredith. The title 'aunt' makes me sound like I'm a family girl with…cookies and stuff in the oven. And who's to say I'll ever become your aunt?"

Callie laughed. "Are you seriously asking that question, Grey?"

"And now we're walking," said Meredith, not being able to keep the small smile off her face."

* * *

"What's going on?" Derek asked the nurse. 

"I'm sorry," she said, "but the paralysis is spreading. He can barely move his legs."

"Balty, can you squeeze my fingers?"

"Yes," said Balty. He demonstrated.

"Okay, we're going to have to find out what this is. Karev, prep my OR. Balty, do you have any pain?"

"My back hurts a little when I sit up."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Well, I haven't tried to sit up until a few hours ago," he replied reasonably.

"What's your name?" he asked the nurse.

"Joanna," she said, a little nervously.

"Joanna, where are the films for this patient?"

"MRI's and CT's have been backed up all day…there was something wrong with the computer."

"Of course there is," muttered Derek, sighing and turning his eyes toward the ceiling. "Do we have them?"

"I…I don't know…"

"Find them."

"Y-yes Dr. Shepherd…" She scurried away. Derek felt sorry for her.

"Okay people, let's go. Balty, I need you to not move until we put you under."

"Okay," said Balty. "I'll just pray." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Derek turned to the interns next to him. Izzie appeared to be praying too. She opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Derek raised a hand. "Don't apologize."

The door burst open. "The radiologist told me to tell you it's a lumber fracture," gasped the nurse.

"Thank you," said Derek. "Did you call him?"

"Woke him up," she said. "I have the pictures here, printed."

"That was the right thing to do," said Derek. Joanna nodded and closed the door, clearly feeling a little better about herself.

"It's a beautiful night to save lives," said Derek. "Let's have some fun. Scalpel." Alex handed it to him.

* * *

"You're in a hurry to leave," observed Mark. 

"Almost everyone is gone," said Addison. "There's a rule you know. There's a certain amount of time you're allowed to leave between before you're considered a lingerer."

"That's a bad thing?" asked Mark. He unlocked his car.

"Yes," said Addison, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Whatever you say," said Mark.

Addison grinned. "What if I want to leave early because I want to give you my Christmas present?" She sidled up to him flirtatiously.

"I was thinking the same thing, but I'm not hopeful because you know as well as I do that it's not Christmas yet. I'm not getting my hopes up. Especially after that stunt..." He grabbed her around the waist, causing her to gasp a little. "...you pulled earlier."

"You can have more than one Christmas present," she giggled. "And I believe I owe you, don't I?"

"So you're saying…"

Addison kissed him, pulling his head down to hers as their tongues intertwined. She pulled away, a little breathless. "Drive."

And when she said it like that, Mark wasn't really in any mood to disagree.

* * *

The first thing Meredith did when she got into the car was unzip her dress. The second thing she did was rip out the tag. Then she zipped herself back in. 

"Thank God," she groaned, raising her arms in a little expression of victory.

"You crack me up," said Callie. "Brianna?"

"I think she's asleep," laughed Meredith. "I don't blame her. Poor thing."

"I wonder how she's going to get into her room tomorrow," laughed Callie.

"Maybe McSteamy will be nice and they'll use his room," said Meredith.

"Those two are something else," said Callie.

"Definitely," agreed Meredith. "Props go to the girl that ties McSteamy down."

They finished laughing and an awkward silence settled between them.

"Is this weird?" asked Callie.

"I don't know," said Meredith. "There's this part of me that thinks it should feel weird, but it's not. Do you think I drank too much?"

"You're definitely a little tipsy," said Callie, "but not completely like I've seen you before."

They pulled up in front of Meredith's house. "You can stay here, if you want," said Meredith. "You can sleep in George's bed. Brianna can have Izzie's room. I don't think she's going to be home very soon. Besides, you need to drive Brianna back in the morning."

"Thanks," said Callie. Together, the women woke up Brianna and made their way into the house.

"So, how was your first hospital Christmas party?" asked Callie.

"It wasn't my first," said Meredith. "But it was definitely my best.

* * *

**Coming up...I'm going to have Melchoir's surgery in the next chapter. Then I'll have A LOT more Maddison, I promise! And then we'll have Addison's surgery with Mary and Joseph. (hee) Christmas morning at Meredith's house...and anything else anyone wants...like a snow fight or something? Let me know!!! I write this for you guys!!! Please review.**


	17. Sleep, or Lack Thereof

**First, a disclaimer about the medical stuff. I know the situation is a little out there. Please don't hate me for that. I only know what I find on the internet, and I know it's a little hazy, what's going on. Bear with me. My dad and mom are both in the medical field and I think they'd be horrified at what they're reading, because, as it is pretty accurate from what I've read and what I've experienced from going to work with them, it's not completely right by any means. So...just in case you're like my mom and dad, sorry it's not perfect. I'd love it to be, but I'm never quite sure if what I'm reading is accurate or not.**

**Sorry this isn't longer. My mother's going to bust a vein if I don't start cleaning again. This was my 5-minute break turned into an hour. :P So I hope you guys like it!!! Christmas is going to be next chapter, but we have a good dose of humor and a little bit of an introspective moment in here. I even wrote in a Burke and Christina scene, and I've never really done that before, so...enjoy!!!**

* * *

"I'm sorry," said the nurse, as soon as George and Bailey had walked into the room. "We're swamped, and we're supposed to try and get as many patients as we can out of the way. Or else I wouldn't have interrupted your party."

"It's alright," said Bailey, clearly displeased but not angry at the nurse. "These kinds of things are unpredictable. Melchior, how are you feeling?"

"I have a headache."

"What's the patient's temperature…what's your name?"

"Marla."

"Marla, what's his temperature?"

"It's 99.9. It's been fine all day until now. BP 88 over 60."

"Borderline fever and low blood pressure…damn it. We need to get that crap out of him right now. Let's move. Why didn't anyone page me before?"

"He just got so much worse now," said Marla. "I figured that if we were going to try to get rid of patients, he was the most critical…right now, anyway."

"Get rid of me," muttered Melchior. "Thanks, now I feel important."

Bailey turned to Marla. "You're fine. But you need to go and finish what you were doing."

"Thank you, Dr. Bailey."

"O'Malley!" barked Bailey, as soon as she was within earshot of George, which, in her case, wasn't a long time. "Our patient has a sudden fever and low pressure. He also fell in a field and has foreign objects stuck in and through his arm. What's your diagnosis?"

George thought. "He was in a field full of horses…infection."

"What kind of infection? Do you know?"

George pondered silently. "Blood poisoning?"

"What are the risks for a surgery?"

"The infection can worsen," he said immediately.

"Melchior, we need you to make a decision," said Bailey. "The symptoms just started showing now, so there is a good chance you're going to be fine, but we still need your permission."

"Do it." He nodded grimly.

"You heard the man," said Bailey. A few minutes later, Melchior was lying unconscious on the table.

"O'Malley…O'Malley!" said Bailey. "You need to focus."

George shook his head. "I'm here. It's just that…I don't know if he really wants this."

"The man has a family," said Bailey, shaking her head. "As much as he won't admit it, he loves them. He's doing this for them."

"I know. I just wish he was doing it for himself."

"You can't make someone happy. They have to choose it for themselves. You can help them to make that choice, but you can't make it for them. Now, I need you to focus so you can get through this surgery, got it?"

"Yes," said George, forcing his head to clear.

* * *

"Thank God he's alright," said Izzie. "We cut it really close."

"Shepherd could fix anything," said Alex. "You're not really telling me you're surprised."

Izzie's reply was cut off as Derek walked into the room.

"Good work," he said to the interns. "Are you going home?"

"My shift starts in two hours," said Izzie. "It's not worth the travel time."

"I'm the same," said Alex. "I think we'll crash here."

"Alright, I'm heading home," said Derek. "Good night…or morning I guess would be more appropriate"

The interns nodded before he left.

"Does the fact that he sleeps down the hall from you ever stop being weird?" asked Alex.

"No," said Izzie. "It doesn't. I call top bunk!" She sprinted toward the on-call room.

Alex rolled his eyes but ran after her anyway.

* * *

Meredith's alarm went off at four. She rolled over, reminding herself that it wasn't the alarm's fault that she had to wake up, and if she threw the stupid little noisemaker, she would have to buy yet another alarm clock. And she really wasn't in the mood to do that again.

She loved what she did. She loved what she did. She loved what she did.

At the moment, however, she was pretty sure she loved coffee more.

Callie was already downstairs, hair extremely messed up. She'd slept in her scrubs, having nothing else to sleep in but her dress, and she definitely wasn't going to do that. She handed Meredith a cup of coffee.

"Bless you," said Meredith in a raspy voice. She took a sip and stopped.

"I'm not working today." Callie rolled her eyes.

"Then give me the coffee," she said. "I'm not only driving, but I'm driving a kid across the city."

"You can use the shower," said Meredith, still sleepy. "I'll get Brianna up in an hour."

"You're not going to fall asleep?" asked Callie.

"I have presents to wrap," said Meredith resentfully. "I'm celebrating Christmas this year."

"Um…I'm sorry?" asked Callie.

"Look at me." Meredith stood in a pair of sweatpants she'd been wearing to bed all week and her Dartmouth t-shirt. Her hair was messed up, almost coming out of its bun, and she looked like she hadn't slept in four years. Callie suddenly had a flashback of one of the girls she went to college with. It wasn't very pretty. "Do I look like a yay-Christmas type of person?"

"Tis' the season," said Callie, handing Meredith's coffee cup back over.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

* * *

Izzie having won the brief but furious battle for the top bunk, she slept on the top and Alex slept on the bottom. George opened the door and turned on the lights.

"Did you hear a pager, Izzie?" mumbled Alex from the bottom.

"No," said Izzie from the top. "Are you Bailey?"

"No," said George.

"Then get the hell out of here and turn off the lights," said Alex, pulling the pillow over his head. "Find your own on-call room."

"They're all taken. Everything's taken. And I'm not sleeping on the floor again. Do you know what's been on the floor here?"

"There's no room," said Alex. "Please don't make me get up and kick your ass. We have to be up in half an hour."

"George, damn it. I can't talk to you if you won't turn off the lights." George flipped the switch.

"Thank God," said Alex, rolling over. "Now, if everyone would just shut up, that would be great."

"For God's sake," sighed Izzie. "You can sleep up here with me, George. Just don't do anything to wake me up, or I will have to kick your ass when I wake up."

"Thanks," said George, climbing up the side into the bed.

"Whatever. You're so on baking duty with me when we get home."

George opened his mouth to protest and decided that it wasn't worth it. "Okay."

* * *

"If you want me to take you to the hospital, I will," said Callie. "I'm going to stop off and change."

Brianna yawned. "Okay." She turned and almost ran into Derek, who was just coming in Meredith's door. "Hi, Derek."

"How was surgery?" asked Callie.

"It went well," said Derek. "Where's…"

"She's upstairs…something about wrapping presents, but I think she's gone back to sleep now. She stayed up long enough to wake up Brianna."

"Presents?" asked Derek, smiling slightly.

"I wouldn't be so optimistic," yawned Brianna. "This _is_ Meredith we're talking about here."

"It's optimistic for Meredith," said Derek, shrugging. "I'll see you guys later."

* * *

When Callie and Brianna got to the hotel, Brianna walked to her room and stopped. Callie turned around and started laughing.

"I don't think Addison would let that happen again." Brianna opened the door a crack and saw that it was empty.

"See?" said Callie. "I'll be right here."

* * *

Meanwhile, in Mark's room, a pager pierced the silence of the room.

"Mark…Mark! Hand me my pager, will you?"

"Why?" he moaned from underneath the pillow that was covering his ears.

"Because it's my job," she reminded him. "And you're way closer to it than me."

Mark reached over, grabbed the pager, and threw it to her before recovering his head with the pillow. Addison let out a sigh.

"What is it?"

"It's the Nazar baby." She sat up and looked at the pager. "I have to go."

Mark sighed, pulled his head out from under the pillow, and sat up. "Good morning to you too."

Addison smiled and kissed him quickly. "Good morning. You know, you're still invited to Christmas at Joe's. I'll see you there later."

"What kind of Christmas takes place in a bar?"

Addison pulled up her dress. "Zip me," she commanded. While Mark came up behind her, she answered him, "I guess Christmas at Seattle Grace…I think we're invited to Christmas at Meredith's house too…but I'm not sure. Derek might have been drunk when he said that."

Mark laughed. "Why do you always assume the worst?"

"Then I'm never disappointed." She attempted to kiss him again, but he wouldn't let her go. When he finally did, she grabbed her keys and purse.

"Addi, I think you should try and look on the bright side for once. I'm not going anywhere."

"I'll try," she promised. "Okay?"

"Say hi to Brianna, if you see her," he said, climbing back into bed.

* * *

Addison stepped out into the hallway. Callie was sitting in front of her door, eating a large apple turnover.

"Don't say it," warned Addison.

Callie grinned. "How was your night? Want some?" She offered the turnover to Addison, who took it and broke off about half of it to eat before sitting down next to Callie, grinning while she was chewing.

"I'll take that as a good night," said Callie. "I'm just waiting for Brianna. I'm taking her to the hospital."

"She still wants to go?" Addison was surprised. "I really hope I'm not turning her into a weird person, or something."

"You mean like the rest of us?" asked Callie. "Nah, I don't think so. I think that this is the closest thing to a functional family she's felt in a while, and she wants to keep that."

Addison raised an eyebrow. "Functional?" Theirs was more of a soap opera family, she thought.

"Well, you know what I mean…love and semi-happiness…all that good stuff."

"I know," said Addison, saving her friend from having to ramble on. "Lydia called me a few days ago."

"Really?" said Callie.

"Yeah," said Addison. "I don't know what those two did or have done, and I don't really want to know, but he's in jail and she's a mess." She shook her head. "I can't tell Brianna. Lydia wouldn't let me."

"I'm sorry," said Callie. Brianna opened the door and both the women shut up.

"Hey," said Addison. "I hear you can't get enough of Seattle Grace."

Brianna smiled. "It's more like I can't get enough of you guys, but okay." She looked at Callie. "Are we going to go?"

"Yeah," said Callie, glancing at Addison.

"Go ahead," said Addison. "I just got paged for a case. I just wanted to see you. Sorry about last night."

Brianna shrugged. "There's nothing to apologize for. I'll see you later."

* * *

Burke had just gotten in from his morning run when his pager went off. He heard a moan come from his bedroom, followed by a crash. His pager slid out of the room and onto the floor in front of him.

"Why does it have to yell?" moaned Christina.

"Oh, good, you're awake," said Burke, picking up the pager. "Do you remember any of last night?"

"I got hammered. Whatever. I'm not working today. Why do you yell?"

Burke shook his head and looked at the pager. "I have to go!"

"What patient?" asked Christina. Her voice sounded muffled, like her head was under a pillow.

"It's that baby…the one they call Jesus?"

"That's Meredith's patient," said Christina. She paused, and then…

"It's her day off today and she has to work? Ugh."

"There's some aspirin on the table beside you and a glass of water," he said. "Make sure you're at Joe's by five, okay?" He waited until he heard a mumble that was her answer before he left.

* * *

Derek had just climbed in bed beside Meredith when her pager went off. She woke up reached over, and ended up grabbing Derek's shoulder instead.

"When did you get in?" she asked, reaching over him for the pager.

"I got in a few minutes ago. I heard that your side is still bothering you."

Meredith sighed. "Yeah…oh, I have to go. It's Addison's patient. And I was supposed to have the day off. Damn."

"I heard about that," said Derek. "They're calling him the baby Jesus. Are you sure you're up for surgery?"

"I'm fine," said Meredith. "I promise. You sleep. I'll see you at the hospital." She tried to get out of bed, but he grabbed her and kissed her.

"You need to get better," he told her, "so I can give you part of your Christmas present."

Meredith laughed. "Christmas sex? That sounds a little dirty."

Derek thought a minute. "Yeah, it does."

"We could be politically correct and call it holiday sex."

"That sounds better." He kissed her again until she slapped his arm gently. "There's a baby. I have to go."

Derek sighed and lay back. "If I had a nickel for every time I heard that…sorry, Meredith," he said, as he realized his words a little too late.

Meredith shook her head. "It's fine. I'll talk to you later." She sprinted out of the room. Just as she did, Derek's cell phone went off. It was seven and time for him to get up.

"I love my job. I love my job. I love my job," he muttered, pulling himself out of bed as he heard the front door slam. "Where's that coffee?"

* * *

**I just LOVE capturing mornings with these people. It's so hilarious, but you know it's realistic, because they run around all day and then try to get some sleep...and that hardly ever happens. Anyway, don't forget the Lucky Bear love and review!!!**


	18. Hope and Snow

**Everytime I get a review, I want to do a Snoopy dance! You guys are great! And I think I'm going to get over 100 reviews, and I've never done that before, so I'm sooo happy! Especially since you guys have stuck with me for the past 6 months!!!**

**Some of you have asked for a snow battle and an Izzie baking frenzy, so I'm going to deliver that soon. (If you look carefully, I'm setting it up. :D) And in this chapter, we have baby Jesus's surgery (don't worry...I don't think that's going to be his name), and the procedure described in here is completely real. I spent about 6 hours on a school field trip to a genetics conference, and this case was in there. Let's just overlook the fact that I'm pathetic, using my "educational field trips" for fic ideas and just marvel at how COOL it is...because really, the fact that it's humanly possible to do this blows my mind. We also have George and his warm and fuzzy moment with Melchior and a couple of funny intern scenes, including and not limited to Bailey getting Christmas presents from the interns (because they ARE suckups, after all), and a little mistletoe kiss that wasn't exactly finished...ya'll enjoy. :D**

**This chapter goes out to Jonah because I think she's going to be very happy when she finds out what her character is going to be doing. :D**

* * *

Meredith half-stumbled into Seattle Grace. To her dismay, the first person she saw was Bailey.

"Grey, why are you here? You're supposed to be at home. And I heard your side is still bothering you. GO HOME. All you interns do is complain, complain, complain. Then I give you the day off, and you're still here! You're supposed to be at home…hungover undoubtedly from that stunt one of you pulled yesterday. It's practically Christmas, and this is the closest thing to a present you're getting from me, so do me a favor and take advantage of it!"

"I got called in for the baby Jesus case."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Get a move on then. You taken anything for your side?"

Meredith paused just a little too long, remembering that she actually hadn't. Bailey turned her eyes toward the heavens before she opened her purse.

"Here," she said, handing Meredith two Advil. "Find some water. If you're going to be here all day, might as well be useful."

"Thank you, Dr. Bailey." Bailey rolled her eyes before Meredith handed her an envelope with a Christmas bow wrapped around it.

"Grey, what is this?"

"It's your Christmas present."

Bailey looked down at the envelope slowly then up at Meredith. "Why are you still standing there? You have a baby that needs you. Now."

Meredith hurried off, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"And do me a favor and find those friends of yours! I have no idea where they are and I know that they're way too tired to answer their pagers!"

"Will do!" Meredith called, disappearing behind the corner.

Bailey turned her attention to the envelope and opened it. There were two gift cards: one to Starbucks and the other to Babies 'R Us. She smiled. That intern might hate Christmas, but she sure knew how to give a Christmas present. Pocketing the present, she returned to work like nothing had happened.

* * *

"Addison," said Burke, nodding to Addison as saw her in the hallway, immediately turning and walking in the opposite direction to talk to her.

"Preston, good morning. Where the hell are the interns? I can't find anyone. Usually, they're swarming. They'd kill to get in on this case."

Right on cue, Meredith turned the corner, sidestepping both attendings and somehow managing to avoid a rather awkward collision. "Good morning, Dr. Montgomery, Dr. Burke," she said breathlessly. "I'm sorry. It was my day off."

Both of Addison's hands were still up in the air in an attempt to avoid said collision that had never happened. "That's fine," she said, moving her hands to instinctively take her hair out of her face. "Do me a favor and find me another intern, preferably Karev." She shook her head. "I swear, if I get my hands on who spiked that punch last night…and it's Christmas. We're swamped." Meredith gulped.

"I'm on my way to find them now," she said.

"Well, hurry up," said Addison. "The surgery's in half an hour, but we're going to try to be a little early."

Meredith sighed and ran off. Burke turned to Addison. "I remember getting called in when my day off was Christmas Eve Eve."

Addison raised an eyebrow. "Christmas Eve Eve?"

"It's the day before Christmas Eve."

Addison laughed. "I like it." Both of them jumped out of the way as Jonah ran past. "I was called out on Christmas one time. It was horrific…Dr. Stark, come here for a minute."

Jonah turned around and obeyed, not really sure what was going on.

* * *

Meredith walked into the on-call room and turned on the lights. The first thing she saw was Alex. The second thing she saw was George on top with Izzie.

"Seriously!" she yelled, turning on the lights, causing Alex to sit up way too quickly and hit his head. "Ow! Damn it! What?" he cursed.

George, who hadn't seen the light due to the fact that his face was covered by Izzie's hair, sat up, startled. "What?"

Izzie rolled over wordlessly and looked at Meredith. "What?"

"Bailey, Burke, and Addison just sent me to get you up."

"Ahh…it's the morning from hell," moaned George.

"That surgery is mine," said Alex, hopping out of bed.

Izzie suddenly leapt down from the top bunk. "I'm going to have to say that you're wrong there. I want that surgery." They sprinted out of the room.

"You don't want baby Jesus?" Meredith asked George.

"I need to monitor my King dude."

"Suit yourself," said Meredith, turning around. "You up for Joe's tonight?"

"Of course," said George. "Don't forget about your house afterwards."

Meredith sighed. "I was actually trying to forget. Twelve people over? Do you remember what happened the last time I had a party?"

"No," said George.

"Exactly," said Meredith. "But I…have to go. But I think you should find something to do. Bailey's all over us today. I swear she knows that Alex spiked the punch yesterday."

"Right," said George, jumping out of bed. "See you later."

* * *

"YOU have patients to monitor. GO," ordered Bailey. Alex and Izzie turned away, dejected, shooting jealous glances at Meredith, who came up right behind Jonah. Bailey turned to both interns. "It's all yours."

"Score!" Jonah cheered, hopping up and down. She was quickly silenced with a look from Bailey. "Sorry." Sure, the Nazi wasn't her resident, but she scared the crap out of her.

"This is a delicate procedure that hasn't been done many times before," began Addison. "This baby has a defective heart valve. The course of action to be taken is a new procedure, in which we isolate stem cells from amniotic fluid taken from Mary about sixteen weeks into her pregnancy. So that means…" She trailed off, just a little, to give one of the interns a chance to fill in.

"The cells haven't specialized yet," said Jonah.

"You're going to put the cells in the heart," said Meredith. "You're going to let the cells grow the baby a new heart valve."

"Yes," said Addison.

"I read about that," said Jonah. "The chances of isolating the cells are slim. Only one percent of the cells in amniotic fluid are stem cells."

"And what are the advantages to using embryonic stem cells to adult stem cells?"

"Embryonic stem cells, when placed, will not divide too quickly and become cancerous. Their division is controlled because they are not mature and not developed. And this way, any ethical issues are sidestepped because the embryo is not harmed when the cells are taken."

"Studies have shown that the heart appears to function perfectly normally after birth," finished Jonah.

Addison was obviously very pleased. "Good work," she said. "You two are definitely ready for this surgery."

"So this is why they flew all the way across the country to come here," mused Jonah.

Addison smiled. "Rest assured that I'm very good at what I do, Dr. Stark. Are you ready?"

Both girls nodded. This was probably something they wouldn't do again.

* * *

After George left the on-call room, he went straight to Melchior's room. He was supposed to be there anyway. Relieved to see that no one was in the room, he settled beside the bed to wait for Melchior to wake up. He didn't have to wait too long.

"Is that what they let you doctors do now, pop pills?"

George turned around, confused, to see Meredith quickly down something with a paper cup of water.

"Oh, that's Meredith," he said by way of explanation.

Melchior sniggered. "Well, I guess everything's alright now."

George rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm really tired. She has this huge bruise on her side, but she has to work today."

"Okay…" said Melchior. "I know you didn't come here to tell me that." He paused and looked at George carefully. "I certainly hope you didn't come and tell me that I should be happy or anything like that."

George shook his head. "No, I just wanted to ask you why you had the surgery. You don't have to answer," he said quickly.

"It's alright," he answered. "I have two brothers who don't have parents. I had to take that chance." George nodded. "But you know, I love my brothers, as much as I hate to admit it. I can't just leave them." George nodded again. He got up to leave.

"You're just going to leave me like that, huh?" asked Melchior, laughing.

"Do you need anything?" George asked him.

"I'd like to talk to Caspar," he said, "if that's okay."

George smiled. "I'll go get him."

* * *

"I think we have an audience," Burke commented, without looking up at Addison.

"What?" Addison looked up and saw Brianna waving at her from the gallery. She smiled and looked back down.

"Is that your daughter?"

"No, she's my niece," said Addison, smiling. "Okay, Mary, when you wake up it'll all be over."

Mary reached over and grabbed Joseph's hand before nodding.

"You're in good hands," said Joseph.

"I know," said Mary. It was the last thing she said before the anesthetics took over.

* * *

Bailey turned around to find Alex and Izzie standing there with large smiles on their faces. She sighed.

"Stevens, your patient is discharged. You can go home. The same goes for you, Karev."

"I know, Dr. Bailey," said Izzie. "I was going to give you your Christmas present before I left." She gave her a wrapped box and nudged Alex, who jumped.

"Right. Um…yeah, here's my present," he said, giving her another box.

"So…yeah…merry Christmas!" said Izzie, before they turned around to walk away.

"I love that I work with a bunch of suckups," said Bailey to herself, putting the presents under her arm.

"I'm going to pick up a few last minute things for Meredith's house party," said Izzie to Alex. "Want to help? Oh, it's snowing! Hold this." She pushed her bag toward Alex and ran out into the snow. She danced around a little while Alex tried not to laugh and failed.

"Oh my God, she's a fairy," said a sarcastic voice that could only belong to one person. "Well isn't that cute!"

Alex whirled around. "Christina, isn't it your day off?"

Christina snorted. "Like I'd miss Meredith's surgery…if I weren't so hung over I'd be pissed I wasn't working today. Oh, hey Izzie!" Izzie had spotted Christina.

"Are you okay?" Izzie asked, coming over and putting a hand on her forehead, which Christina was too tired to flick away. "You got pretty hammered last night."

"I'm in pain like you wouldn't believe," said Christina.

"And you're still here…well, come on, cold air is great for headaches." Izzie took Christina by the arm and led her out into the snow. Christina ended up tossing Alex her bag. He was now, much to his dismay, carrying two purses out in the open where everyone could see him.

"I'm going to get sick and die."

"Considering that you were able to get yourself out of the house and come here, I highly doubt that possibility. You don't have to move…just…stand here. I promise. It's good." After a few moments, when everyone had calmed down, Izzie started again, "Feel better?"

"Yeah, a lot better," said Christina. "I also think the pain meds are starting to take effect."

Izzie laughed. "You should go inside and wait for Meredith." Christina shrugged and took her purse from Alex with a sweet "Thank you, Evil Spawn."

"Oh yeah, she's feeling better," said Alex. "Dude, it never snows here. It's usually freezing rain."

"This is a good sign," said Izzie. "And you don't get to make fun of me for saying that."

"Actually, I was thinking more about the fact that I still owe you a kiss, if that's okay with you."

"I wouldn't want to upset the Christmas gods," said Izzie, shrugging.

"I thought you were Catholic."

"Well, I'm a surgeon too. The line gets a little blurry."

"Works for me," said Alex, as he tilted her back slightly and kissed her. Izzie shrieked a little at the sudden lack of balance, but giggled as she kissed him back. When she pulled away, she laughed.

"I've never been kissed in the snow before."

"Well, I figured that since it was you, it would be most appropriate." Izzie laughed again, and Alex thought she looked like the epitome of a Christmas card, snowflakes all over her blonde hair. "Izzie, I hate to break it to you, but if we don't get out of here soon, we're going to have a very unhappy Meredith and very soaked clothes." They were covered in snow.

"Okay," said Izzie regretfully, looking up at the snow that was still falling. Then she smiled. "Let's get this party started!"

* * *

** Okay, so I didn't really know what to do with Azzie. I lovelovelove Azzie, but I wanted to leave it open because...well, her fiance did technically just die (this is set around Season 3, episode 8-10, if anyone's wondering), and...it's Alex and Izzie. That's the way they roll sometimes. I'll put more people in the next chapter, but this is more of a bridge. Anyway, don't forget to drop me a review!!! S'mores to the person who's my number 100!!!**


	19. Awkward Situations

**This chapter is a lot longer than I thought it would be. You can really drag these things out. Anyway, I hope you like it.**

**This is dedicated to Clare, number 100. :D She also helped me come up with a lot of this chapter. And thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming! You guys are awesome. :D**

* * *

"Congratulations," said Addison, smiling at them over the table. "You two have just made it through one of the most complicated neonatal procedures there is. I'd be proud of myself if I was you. Once I'm done closing her up, you two are free to go. It is almost Christmas, after all, and I'm sure you have somewhere to be?" She grinned at them. All of them knew about the party at Joe's.

Both interns nodded, wishing they could be closing up the patient but knowing that it was a delicate procedure and they were probably better off watching. Jonah waited until they were out of the OR to turn to Meredith excitedly.

"That was amazing!" she said in a loud whisper.

"I know," said Meredith. "Neonatal…I mean, I like it, but it's not really my thing as much as other stuff is…but I might seriously reconsider it if I get to do surgeries like that. What about you?"

"Oh…" said Jonah, surprised. "I don't really know. I haven't thought about it yet. But I guess I should…the year's half over."

"Yeah," said Meredith. "It's been a crazy one. How have you held up? You like it?"

"I wouldn't want to do anything else."

"Me either. Besides, you need to stay. Us women only make up thirty percent of the interns here. We have to stick together."

They were interrupted by Addison sweeping into the room. "You know," she told the interns, taking the sink previously occupied by Meredith, "it's more acceptable to scream when you're outside. I know you're dying to."

Jonah and Meredith giggled.

"Hey, I was an intern once too," said Addison, as the girls hurried out the door.

* * *

"Just so you know," said Christina, as soon as the girls entered the bar, "me and the rest of the interns? We hate you." 

"Shut up, Miss I-get-all-the-cool-heart-surgeries," said Meredith. "Seriously, we're just as good as you are. Sometimes we get a chance."

Christina scowled, but moved over to make a place for Meredith, a sort of peace offering between the two.

"Would you like me to get you a drink, personal slave?" Izzie asked George, who tried to swat at her but missed.

"Personal slave?" asked Alex. "Sounds like there's a story there. Care to share with the class?"

Izzie giggled, deciding to be oblivious to the dirty connotation behind Alex' comment. "George shared my bunk so now he's my personal baking slave!"

"O'Malley shared your bunk," said Alex, trying not to laugh.

"Remember this morning?" asked Meredith. "All three of you were like pigs in a blanket."

"I missed that?" asked Christina. "Remind me never to get drunk at a party again."

Jonah laughed. "Oh my gosh."

"We were not!" protested Alex, sparking an argument between the interns. In a few minutes, they were laughing so hard, they couldn't remember what the argument was about.

* * *

Callie turned to sit down at the table occupied by Derek, Burke, and Mark. Derek looked at her, confused. 

"Isn't George over there?"

Callie shook her head. "They're having their little 'intern time'. Where's Addison?"

"She's coming," said Mark. "She had that surgery thing today."

Callie sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Great," she said unenthusiastically. "I need a drink. You guys want some?"

"Are you that interested in getting away from us?" asked Derek, laughing.

"Hey," said Callie. "Acknowledge the awkward situation here." She got up to go to the bar.

"She's right, you know," said Mark.

"I'm the one who's sitting between the two people who can't decide whether or not to completely hate each other," said Burke. "I think I'm the victim here."

"I don't think they let kids into bars," said Derek suddenly.

"What?" asked Burke.

"No duh," laughed Mark.

"I'm just saying, if Addison comes in here, what does she do with Brianna? That's why she's not here."

Mark frowned. "Well, that sucks."

"What?" asked Callie, returning.

"Drink," said Burke, as laughter erupted from the interns' side of the bar. "It's going to be a really weird night.

* * *

"You know," said Alex, after a few moments of silence, there is only one true way to settle this. 

Christina looked at him, looked at Meredith, then looked back at Alex. "Hell no. I refuse."

"Come on!" said Alex. "We can settle this once and for all."

Christina looked at Meredith. "You're not seriously considering doing this."

Meredith looked thoughtful. "Think about it…we can throw things at them."

"Seriously?" said Izzie. "Oh, come on, George! You have to do it! You'll be my favorite person…"

"It's better than 'open-handed combat'."

"I agree," said Alex.

"And I thought I WAS your favorite person!" said George to Izzie.

"You know, you'll be even more of my favorite once we get outside."

Everyone stared at Christina.

"Christina Yang, backing down from a fight?" asked Alex. "Am I witnessing this?"

"No," snapped Christina, tossing down a ten on the bar. "You're on. And I'm going to kick your sorry ass for saying that."

"Bring it on!" hollered Alex. The interns all got up and rushed outside.

* * *

"Good Lord, what are they doing now?" asked Callie, as she watched all five get up and rush out the door to the bar. 

"Beats me," said Derek. "Maybe they found out Addison wasn't coming because of Brianna and are heading to her house early."

Callie stifled a laugh. "I doubt they'd be that mature." She was met by a glare from Derek. "Oh, come on, it doesn't piss you off a little bit that Meredith is practically joined at the hip to them?"

"Whatever," said Mark. "If this is something immature, this is something I've got to see."

So, under mutual agreement, all four of them got up and went outside. What met their eyes made Callie's expression into one of shock, Mark's eyes light up in amusement, Burke's face light up in amusement, and make Derek double over, laughing.

* * *

"Hey Miranda!" yelled Addison over the snow. "You leaving to go home?" 

"Oh yeah," said Bailey. "I'd be a fool to stay out in this. Speaking of which…" Something across the street caught her eye. She closed her eyes quickly. "Addison, please tell me that those are not MY INTERNS having a snowball fight literally right in front of the hospital."

Addison walked over to Bailey and stood in front of her, blocking her view. "Those are not your interns having a snowball fight literally right in front of the hospital."

Brianna's eyes widened. "Addison, can I go, please? I haven't had a sn-I haven't seen them in like, forever."

"It's fine by me," said Addison. "You better not get hurt. The last thing I need is you in this hospital over Christmas."

Brianna was already running away. Bailey sighed. "I'd kick their sorry intern asses, but these people gave me some pretty damn good presents." She took out of her purse the giftcards, bag of cupcakes, Christmas CD, bath set, and a Christmas decoration designed to look like an ice sculpture swan.

Addison burst out laughing.

"What do you think?" asked Bailey. "I think it's worth a few minutes of snow. They could have gotten a surgery, but, you know how these interns love to push boundaries."

"It's wonderful," said Addison. "My interns never gave me Christmas presents…you think they would…to get on your good side, but they didn't. Let's see…the baked goods have to be from Stevens. The CD has to be from O'Malley…I don't think anyone else would have gone so sentimental. The ice sculpture is definitely Yang. It's just like her to give you something sharp and potentially harmful for Christmas. That leaves Karev and Grey. And I'm thinking that Grey would not, under any circumstances, have gone out and bought a bath set. Giftcards are less personal. Which leads me to believe that Karev definitely did NOT buy that bath set on his own. I'm thinking Stevens. What about you?"

Bailey shook her head. "It's the same for me. I can read these people like a book sometimes. Well, you go and have fun at that Christmas party. I'm going home to spend some time with my son. I'm just going to…pretend that I didn't see any of that." She pointed across the street, where Izzie and Meredith appeared to have George pinned to the ground in a painful tackle.

"Merry Christmas Eve Eve, Miranda!" yelled Addison.

"What?"

Addison rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it. Bye!" Bailey waved back, and Addison waited until she was in her car before heading across the street. Mark was waiting with a cup of apple cider.

"I know it's your favorite. I figured you'd might as well have something to do if we're going to be sitting here for a little while."

"Doing what exactly?"

"Watching the show, of course," said Burke from her other side. He raised his glass (probably of apple cider too) along with the other two men, Addison, and Callie followed. They all toasted, then sipped.

* * *

"This sucks," sighed Izzie, throwing another snowball. "We can't beat them. The only way we'd be able to do it is if we split up Meredith and Christina and you know that's not going to happen. I thought they didn't have snow in LA." 

"It's three against one," said Alex. "Unless you want to count Brianna, but the chick's got her own thing going on."

"The chick" was waving at them. "Check it out!" she yelled, tossing one at Izzie.

"Oh, you're going to wish you didn't do that," said Izzie, already down on her knees.

Meredith was about to throw a snowball, but Christina caught her arm. "Blondie and the redhead," she said.

"Watch out!" hollered George. Meredith had switched her aim from Izzie to Alex. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Ow!" yelled Meredith, rubbing at her cheek. George was laughing. Alex looked at him.

"Hey," said George. "I grew up with two brothers. I'm not completely inept. Hey!"

Jonah cackled, falling back into the snow. She sat up when George hit her again. "You wanna fight me, boy?" she yelled, getting up again. "Seriously?"

"Bring it on!" yelled George.

"Gladly," said Jonah dangerously.

"Ah!" yelled Meredith, falling over.

"Sorry," said Christina. "It's a war zone." She shook her hair out of her face. As if to further prove her point, Brianna ran by, being chased by Izzie. Alex crawled over, military-style, and the three of them crouched behind a small mountain of snow.

"This was your idea," Christina told Alex, whacking him on the head.

"Hey," said Alex. "You agreed."

"Shut up," said Meredith. "We can't just hide behind here. I'm going in. You can follow if you want."

Christina started laughing hysterically.

"What?" asked Meredith, halfway out of the tiny fort.

"I think that we're pre-dinner entertainment," said Christina, gesturing to the attendings.

"Not on my watch," said Alex, grabbing some snow.

"Alex, I wouldn't –" said Meredith. It was too late.

"KAREV!!!" yelled Addison as the snowball exploded on her shoulder. She turned to Mark. "Hold this." She handed him her cup. Mark handed his and Addison's cups to Burke. "I think I'm going to get up too." Addison grabbed the elastic around her wrist and put her hair up in a bun before taking off her jacket and throwing it on the chair. "You do not mess with me, little intern!"

"Nice job," said Meredith. "Now we're all going to die."

"I was aiming for Sloan," muttered Alex.

"I know," said Mark, coming up right behind the three interns.

"Crap," said Christina. All three of them ran out from the snow mountain as snowballs came after them.

Meredith found her way to the two remaining attendings and Callie. "Derek, are you going to help me out or what?"

Derek could barely talk through his laughter. "Why should I? It's not my battle."

"They're YOUR friends," said Meredith. "Well, they're your ex-wife and ex-best friend. And I'm your girlfriend. And I'm being all holiday-ish. And boyfriends are technically supposed to take their girlfriends' sides in everything. Snowball fights are included."

"Ah!" yelled Alex, being chased around the yard by the two attendings. Christina was up on a hill trying to get both of them and missing. "A little help would be nice!" yelled Alex.

"You won't hold still!" yelled Christina. "It's not my fault! Oh, wait…it's your fault! We wouldn't even be in this situation if it weren't for you!"

Derek got out of his chair.

"I love you," said Meredith. "Let's go."

"I'd figure you one to be out there," said Burke to Callie. Both were still sitting on the side.

"No, this is good for me," said Callie.

"Okay," said Burke.

"Okay.

Meanwhile, Brianna had hopped on Izzie's back and Izzie was running blindly around the yard. "Brianna! You have to let me see or we're both going to die…COLD!" Brianna appeared to be shoving snow down the back of Izzie's shirt. This resulted in Izzie knocking over George. On the other side, Alex had slipped and fallen, running into Jonah.

"We're dead," said Alex, watching the approaching attendings.

"Get OFF of me!" shrieked Jonah. "You're on my hair!"

"Hey!" yelled Derek. Addison and Mark turned around, and Derek would have laughed at their expressions if the situation wasn't so "serious." He threw two snowballs. "Let's settle this once and for all, shall we?"

All the interns and Brianna were lying in a row in the snow.

"Fifty bucks on Sloan," said Christina.

"Fifty on Derek," said Meredith.

"I'm going with Montgomery," said Alex.

"I'll agree," said Brianna. "But I don't have fifty bucks."

"Brianna," said Izzie, "I love you and everything, but you really need to get off my back."

"Sorry," said Brianna, rolling off.

"George? Izzie?" asked Christina. "You going to pick someone?"

George waved his hand. "Too tired. Don't care."

Izzie thought a second. "Well, it's not really fair, is it? It's going to be those two versus Derek."

Derek, Addison, and Mark were pelting each other with snowballs.

"Why didn't you just stay out of this?" yelled Mark.

"If you two hadn't gone off and made complete fools of yourselves, we wouldn't be in this situation right now!" yelled Derek.

"WE'RE making fools of ourselves?" asked Addison, crouching behind Mark as she formed another snowball. "We're world-class surgeons. We're screwed if someone walks by. That includes you."

"Hey," said Mark. "He's defending his girlfriend's honor." He turned around and waved at Meredith. Derek took the opportunity to throw a snowball at his head.

Addison threw a snowball at Derek from where she was, crouched on the floor. "And I'm supposed to give him a break?"

"No," said Mark.

"It's two against one!" protested Derek. "That's not fair!"

"Well, I could drop out," said Addison. "Have Mark defend my honor, since it's so important, apparently."

"You're not my...what?" asked Mark.

"Wait, what?" asked Derek.

"This is good," remarked Burke from where he was sitting.

"Yeah," said Callie. "All we need is some popcorn."

Brianna nudged Meredith. "Awkward moment…could use some help here."

"Okay people!" announced Meredith, getting up out of the snow, shaking it out of her hair. "I think we should go to my house before we get arrested or something." She looked around nervously. They had gathered quite a crowd, mostly tourists who were snapping pictures of them. "Or before we end up on Youtube," she added quietly.

"Excellent!" said Izzie, catching on. "Let's go, slave." She and George got up, followed by Alex and Brianna.

Meredith came up beside Derek. "Did you have fun?" she asked, giggling.

"I'd kill you if..."

"If what?" asked Meredith.

"Nothing," said Derek. "Acknowledge the awkward situation here." They walked away laughing.

"Are your Christmases always this...eventful?" Jonah asked Izzie.

"You have no idea," answered Izzie.

* * *

** Ah...the visual I get when I picture everyone having a snowball fight...don't forget to hug Lucky Bear!**


	20. The Party

**I'm so sorry! I stared computer class this week and things just got crazy. I've been writing this on 3 computers...saving it online...and then I lost it a couple of times so I had to redo it...anyway, thank goodness it's here now!!! I'll try to get out another one tomorrow. Thanks sooo much for bearing with me.**

**Speaking of bears, I told Lucky Bear that you guys were going to come and visit her. So that would be great if you reviewed!!!**

**So...in this chapter...Maddison have their little talk. Meredith, George, and Izzie do their Christmas tradition (you know the one I'm talking about). Um...there's rum cake. :P Oh, and some people put up with their issues with Christmas. Enjoy!**

* * *

Meredith ended up taking Izzie with her, since Izzie didn't have a ride. George rode with Callie. Mark, Alex, and Derek took their own cars, and Brianna and Addison rode together. This resulted in seven cars in front of Meredith's house. After about 15 minutes (and a lot of cell phone calling), they managed to get the cars strategically in so that the doctors who might be paged could get out first. Of course, if one of the other doctors were paged (like Meredith, for instance, who was the furthest one in), they were ready to all move out. Hence, everyone had their keys in their pockets all night.

Izzie was the first one to run out of the car. "Hey, Callie, can I borrow George? He owes me…" She smiled devilishly.

Callie shrugged. "Okay…I want him back in one piece though."

Izzie giggled. "Oh, he'll be in one piece, all right. If he's not, he'd be of no use to me." She happily grabbed George's ear and dragged him into the house.

Callie laughed as Meredith and Derek came up behind her.

"What exactly is Izzie going to do?" asked Derek.

"Baking…just do me a favor and don't go into the kitchen, okay?" said Meredith. "I don't want you getting hurt…or whatever." Derek shrugged and walked inside.

Meredith turned and looked at the street. "Damn. I hate being that neighbor." She sighed. "I've never been that neighbor. I hate those neighbors."

"What?" asked Callie. "The neighbor who has the huge party and clogs up the street for a block? Yeah. I hate those too."

"I never thought I'd be one of those neighbors. I hate it."

"Well, I've done a lot of things that I never thought I'd do ever since I came here. Don't feel bad. I'm sure you're not the only one. Besides, if you've never done this before, I'm sure your neighbors won't mind. I'm pretty sure your neighbors don't know you."

Meredith shrugged. "I guess. I'm going inside before anyone sees me." Callie laughed out loud.

* * *

Addison pulled in as close to the curb as she could. "Ugh." 

"What's wrong?" asked Brianna

"Oh, nothing," sighed Addison, pushing her hair up and out of her face. "I haven't parallel parked in a while."

Brianna looked out the window. "My mom was supposed to put me in driver's ed, but she never really got the chance. We came here before she could. But I'd say that was a pretty good job."

Addison bit her lip. "I actually need to talk to you, about your mom."

Brianna closed her eyes and sighed. "What's wrong?"

Addison shook her head. "I'm not going to tell you in the car. Go inside. I'll tell you later. There's something I need to deal with first."

Brianna nodded. "Okay. I'll be in the kitchen…helping Izzie or something." She got out of the car and ran inside, joining Callie in the doorway. They were joined by Christina, Burke, and Alex.

"Why are we all standing here still?" asked Callie.

"I'm waiting for her," said Burke.

"Hey! I'm sorry if I don't want to walk into the North Pole incarnated!" said Christina. "Give me a minute." Burke shrugged.

"Yeah…I'm not big on holiday decorations," said Alex.

Brianna looked at all of them slowly. "Um…okay then…well, I'm going to go inside…you just…come in when you're ready." How people could be scared of the holidays was beyond her. She opened the door, careful not to let the people on the porch catch a glance of the inside.

What she saw amazed her. "Oh my…"

Meredith looked up from where she was (grudgingly) trying to shove presents under her tree. "That good, huh?"

"Oh my God," said Brianna, looking around. "It's like…the North Pole. And you guys did all this?"

"Nooo," said Meredith, putting up her hands. "This is all Izzie. Don't even put my name anywhere near it. Please. For both our sakes."

"It's amazing," said Brianna.

"You know," said Meredith, tying her hair up in a ponytail, "the best view is from under the tree."

"Under the tree?"

"Yeah," said Meredith. "Just…go lie under the tree…I'll be right back. I promise, it's pretty cool." She walked into the kitchen.

Brianna looked around and slowly eased herself under the tree. She felt really weird. But, it was kind of nice…all the lights.

"Out!" George's voice startled Brianna.

"What?" she asked, trying to sit up and succeeding in getting her hair caught in the tree.

"Seriously, George," said Meredith, whacking him over the head. "There's plenty of time for that."

"Hey, could you go into the kitchen for a minute?" asked Izzie. "Just watch the oven. And don't touch the brown bottle."

Brianna shrugged. "Okay."

"What's in the brown bottle?" asked Meredith, walking over to the tree and sitting down.

George and Izzie exchanged a glance. "So…about that rum cake," said Izzie.

"Shut up," said Meredith. "Seriously?"

"As a heart attack," said George. Both girls stared at him. "What?" he asked, sitting down by the tree.

Izzie settled down and positioned herself so that she was lying under the tree. When she spoke, she whispered. "The last thing we need is to call on the evil surgery gods. Shut up so we can do this thing." Meredith and George promptly lay beside her.

"I miss Doc," said Meredith. All three of them glanced over to his empty space.

"He's here," said Izzie, "in spirit." Meredith looked skeptical but didn't say anything.

"So…we have a tradition," said George.

"Yeah," said Meredith.

"Like a family," said Izzie.

* * *

"This is ridiculous," said Callie. "You have to go inside sometime." 

"So go," said Alex. "No one's stopping you." Callie glared at him. "What?" he asked. "It's a free country."

"If I go _inside,_" said Callie patiently, "there's no way to tell if _you _will come inside. I suggest we do it all together…just burst through the door."

Christina shrugged. "Works for me. But if anyone wimps out…"

"On the count of three," said Callie. "One…two…three."

The four people burst through the door. The holiday directions weren't the first thing they noticed. It was their three previously-sane-seeming friends under the tree.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Christina.

"Lights," replied the three interns, their faces pictures of enchantment.

Alex opened his mouth, but Callie stopped him. "We're in a different world, buddy," she said. "Just go with it."

"Weren't you going to move in here?" asked Christina.

"Shut up."

* * *

"What exactly are you doing?" asked Addison. She found Mark standing on the side of his car, looking at Meredith's house. 

"They're just…standing there," he said. "It's weird. You think they'll do that all night?"

"I have no idea," said Addison. "These people are so strange…they're no us."

Mark smirked. "For that to happen, there would have to be a redhead bounding up to the door." Right on cue, Brianna appeared in the doorway. "Bree doesn't count," he told Addison, who was giving him a skeptical look.

"It's just the polar opposite," said Addison, staring at the four people. Brianna had gone inside, leaving the four to discuss who was going in first. From the looks of it…they were trying the "Not me!" approach. "It's cool to be anti-Christmas over here. In New York, if you were anti-Christmas…at least at our hospital…they'd…"

"Shoot you?" laughed Mark. "They shove the holiday down your throat. You either swallow or choke." Addison kicked him under the car. "What about you?" he asked, glaring at her briefly, wondering for the thousandth time how in the world she was wearing heels in thirty degree weather.

"I don't come here often," said Addison. "It's weird."

"I never thought I'd be going into a dirty mistress's house," muttered Mark.

"What?"

"Nickname," said Mark.

Addison turned her eyes toward the heavens. "Whatever happened to calling people by their names?"

"Come on," said Mark. "You don't like it just a little bit…I heard they Mc-ified you too."

Addison cocked her head. "Really?"

"You should pay more attention to the nurses," said Mark.

"If I paid the kind of attention to the nurses that you did, I'd get sued for sexual harassment."

"Okay!" said Mark, holding up his hands. "You don't want to know what your nickname was?"

"I don't care," she answered, but he noticed her lean forward slightly. He met her eyes and they had a brief staring match until Addison blinked. "Fine. But this only makes us even for the kicking."

"They called you McHot," he shrugged. "I heard that Karev and O'Malley made it up." Addison looked pleased. Mark was trying not to laugh.

"Shut up," said Addison. "So I have moments of low self-esteem. I doubt you'd know anything about that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That means that…well, if this was the world…" Addison made a circle with her fingers. "…then this would be your ego." She stretched her arms out as far as they would go.

"Thank you, Ms. Montgomery, but the last time I checked, we weren't in third grade anymore."

"That's 'doctor' to you," Addison said, turning her attention back to the porch. "God…you'd think they were going in to be tortured or something."

"You know," said Mark, "there's a conversation we could have…" There it was. Out in the open.

Addison slowly turned from where she was leaning on the car. "Yeah…about that…" She combed out the snow from her hair. "You know that it was just…"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Though you know I'd defend your honor anytime."

"And now you're shutting up." Mark shrugged and turned to the door. "Hey look! They're going in now."

Addison whirled around, resting her chin on the hood of the car. "I feel like an assassin," she said. Both of them were kneeling on the ground now, eyes barely peeping over the car.

"Why are we waiting here again?"

"I don't know. You wanted to talk."

"You were the one who came over here."

"We could go inside." She crossed her arms and started out from behind the car. He followed her, and she looked down at the ground. He walked slowly, because he had a feeling she wasn't quite finished talking to him yet, and sure enough, she opened her mouth.

"I have a proposition."

"You have a proposition. Well, let's hear it."

"So let's say…you and I…we actually…try this thing."

"You mean, like actually try? As in…"

"No other people…no knocking on each others doors at 2 in the morning when we've had a bad day…no sneaking around…"

"No booty calls."

Addison laughed a little. He was never going to let her forget that. In all honesty, she wasn't sure she knew what happened herself. "No booty calls."

"Deal."

* * *

They walked inside (considerably happier) and were greeted by a strange sight. Meredith, George, and Izzie were still under the tree while Christina, Burke, Callie, and Alex were standing on the side, cups of hot cocoa in hand, watching them, fascinated. 

Addison sidled up behind Callie. "Um…I feel like I shouldn't be asking…but…what are they doing?"

"Lights," whispered Callie. "Just let them be." Addison and Mark exchanged a look. "Here," said Callie. She handed them both cups of hot chocolate. "I saved you some…figured you might be out there for a while." She smiled sweetly.

"God bless you," said Addison.

"I try," answered Callie with a smile.

"So, where Bree and…Derek? They seem to be the only ones missing," asked Mark.

"Bree's in the kitchen," said Callie.

"She's watching the rum," said Christina.

"What?"

"It's for the rum cake," said Alex.

"What?"

"Don't try to understand," said Burke. "The mere fact that these interns can produce all this alcohol, and then still ask for more, is way, way beyond me."

"Derek went in there with her," said Callie. "He's taking advantage of the time Izzie and George are out to have some of that God-forsaken health food."

Addison and Mark rolled their eyes. "Oh…right."

Under the tree, the trio had finally realized that they were being watched. Meredith turned her head to the side. "If anyone starts singing, I'm kicking you out."

"Thank God," said Christina. "I thought an alien had come and taken her body." The three eased themselves out from under the tree. Izzie dragged George to the kitchen, where a loud, "OUT!" was heard. A few seconds later, a crash resounded throughout the house, resulting in Derek running out of the kitchen with crumbs in his hair.

"I told you to stay out of the kitchen," said Meredith.

"I was hungry!" protested Derek.

Meredith turned to the large group of people who had entered her house. They were making her a little uncomfortable. "Um…nothing's going to come out and eat you, so feel free to go anywhere…just don't break anything," she said. The group began to disperse and she felt a lot better.

Jonah came in the front door, right on cue. "Hey, Meredith? There's no room to park outside…sorry I'm late…I had to pick up Chris." Chris appeared in the doorway behind her. "What did I miss?"

Everyone looked around at each other. "Um…nothing…" Jonah beamed.

"That's great…um…I parked across the street if that's okay. I figure there won't be that many cars on the road tonight because, you know, there's the storm and all."

Meredith looked at Derek, panicked. "Storm?"

"Yeah," said Chris. "The roads are closed. Unless everyone lives within ten miles of here, it seems they might have to stay the night."

Christina walked over to Meredith, noticing the expression of horror on her face. "What's wrong? You look like you've been tazered."

Meredith turned to Christina. "It's worse. I think we're here for the night."

"No." Christina turned to Derek, whose face was also an expression of terror. "Oh crap."

* * *

**Review review review!!! 3**


	21. Holiday Hoophala

**Sorry I haven't updated this in a while! I was concentrating on Elements of Disaster, Elements of Healing (which everyone should read if they haven't done so already!!! ;)), but I made sure to get this up for you guys. Let's see...we have drunken baking, Meredith's freakout, some PRESENTS (yay), and Addison finally tells Brianna about her parents.**

**Please review!!! Lucky Bear loves you!!!**

**Also...the recipe in this chapter is real. I didn't get the amounts of stuff to put in it, but this recipe does exist...it's my family's thing, so I was only allowed to give out half of it. :P We have fun at Christmas. And I'm sure you'll see why. :P**

* * *

"Meredith," said Derek, trying to keep her calm.

"I CANNOT do this," she said to him in a panic as Christina ushered Jonah and Chris away. "There is not enough room…there is way too much drama under this roof…and I really don't want to be responsible if someone kills themselves. Why did I agree to this? And why did it have to be on the one night we get the snow storm of the decade?"

"Hey! Hey!" he said, grabbing her arms as they flailed about. "Hey. Calm down. We're going to be okay."

"Derek," hissed Meredith, "I cannot put up twelve people for the night. I can't! I'm a horrible hostess as is! The last time I had a party over here I was extremely depressed…and drunk…so I don't remember it. I cannot handle this. I ca…"

"Meredith!" Derek shook her arms slightly as she sighed and looked up at him. "Are you listening now?" She nodded. He let go of her arms. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said back, smiling slightly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Now listen," he said into her ear. "Half of us have been sleeping in on-call rooms for a week. That doesn't matter. And we're civilized people. No one's killing themselves. And you're not depressed. You're not drunk. And you're a fabulous hostess. You just don't know it. And maybe, this happened on the night of the snow storm because it might be meant to be. And besides…" He pulled back. "You have me. It's going to be OKAY."

"Do you ever freak out?" she asked him.

"We're going to be okay," he said repeated. Suddenly, he jumped back. "I'm sorry. Was I hurting you?"

"Oh…" Meredith felt her side. "I think it's going away. Look…" She pulled up the edge of her sweater. "It's getting smaller, and it's not as swollen anymore. If you press on it…" She pinched her side. "It doesn't hurt as much."

"It's a miracle," grinned Derek. "I'm glad you feel better."

"You always make me feel better," she said, sliding her arms around his neck. "And you know what I'm going to do for you when I'm all the way better?"

"Mmm…what?" He kissed her, right as Brianna walked out of the kitchen with a tray of cookies. Meredith and Derek both jumped off each other, looking a little embarrassed.

"Oh, no…don't mind me," she said. "I was just going to offer you some cookies…preliminary batch, Izzie calls them. But…you just…do what you do. The cookies will be in a bowl in the living room." She hurried off to offer the cookies to someone else.

Meredith rested her head against her hand on the stairs, laughing. "I'm so sorry."

Derek laughed too. "I love the fact that we're not appropriate enough for teens."

Meredith swatted at him. He ducked.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Izzie and George were having an awesome time. This was mostly because they had actually chosen to follow the recipe in front of them. It was a lovely recipe for Holiday Fun Rum Cake. And the second George looked at it, he could see why.

_1. Before you do anything else, test the rum to make sure it's of the highest quality. Once you've had a cup of rum, you're ready to begin._

_2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees._

_3. Grease and flour the 10-inch Bundt pan._

_4. Combine flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a mixer._

_5. Before you add any liquid, check the rum again to make sure nothing has happened to it in the last 5 minutes. Pour yourself a cup. Proceed._

_6. Add butter and mix until it starts to look a little bit sandy._

_7. Combine milk, eggs, and rum. At this point, it would be good to sample the rum again before you actually add it to the mixture._

_8. Whisk to blend. Make sure it's good and swirly._

_9. Put the two bowls together into one. Beat until nice and squishy._

_10. Put the whole mess into the oven. It's hot, if you don't remember. Don't burn yourself. You don't have to take it out for another hour anyway. Celebrate with a cup of rum._

_11. For the glaze, combine other sugar and water into another bowl. Add rum. Don't forget to sample it first! Put the whole mess over the stove and wait for the bubbles. It would be good to turn on the stove first._

_12. Turn off the stove. Add butter._

_13. Split the syrup. Put some in the pan and some in a bowl. By now, there should be more than four bowls. If there are only four, you haven't had enough rum. In which case, pour yourself a cup!!!_

_14. Dump the confectioner's sugar in the pan. Stir._

_15. If the cake is done, take it out of the oven…the top should be slightly bouncy. THE OVEN IS HOT! DON'T BURN YOURSELF! _

_16. Turn off the oven._

_17. Pour the syrup in the BOWL on top. Let it soak. Or just dump it onto a plate, spackle some glaze over it, and go to bed. A cup of rum would be good here, to celebrate, if you can find the rum and get it into a cup. Best of luck to ya!_

George looked at the recipe and back up at Izzie, who was dragging a second batch of cookies and a tray of brownies out of the oven. She added it to the kitchen counter and put it next to a small confetti cake and some cupcakes.

"Are you serious?"

Izzie feigned hurt. "It's a family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation."

"And you do this every Christmas?"

Izzie turned around. "No. But this year has been the first time I've had a best friend who'll bake with me – even if it's against his will. And we're all here and snowed in and slightly happy…that doesn't last long, you know. So I'm making it now."

"You think being drunk is going to make this a little easier, don't you?"

"You got it," said Izzie, pouring him a cup of rum. "Let's toast."

"What are we toasting to?"

Izzie thought for a minute. "Here's to…friends." They clinked their glasses and downed the rum.

* * *

"Brianna, let's talk," said Addison. She took a cookie off the tray when Brianna set it down on Meredith's coffee table.

The small redhead looked up and sighed. She knew that this wasn't going to be good.

"Okay." She got up and both of them sat at the foot of the stairs.

"I've been speaking to your mother," said Addison. "She asked me not to tell you what was going on. She didn't want to worry you, especially when things were constantly changing for them."

"That's so like her," Brianna said under her breath. Addison didn't hear her.

"But I think you should know. Because there comes a point where it's unfair to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Okay. This is all I know, and it's not much. I don't even think they themselves know what's going on. But apparently your father's been involved in something illegal, and they're holding him in jail right now. Your mother is up to her neck in legal things, and that's why I don't think she's going to be home for a while. We don't know what's going to happen."

Brianna closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. "Okay."

That pained Addison more than anything.

"You can be mad, Brianna. It's okay."

"I'm not…they don't care. Why did they do this? I try to be so understanding and I'm just…sick and tired of it. They're always so wrapped up in themselves, and I knew that they were having problems, so I let it be. But this? This was a choice, their choice. I can't believe she kept this from me!"

Addison was silent. At times like this, that was the best thing to do. She silently counted to 100. "Should I leave you alone?"

"Yes," said Brianna, wondering why she sounded so angry. Slightly taken aback, Addison nodded, got up, and walked away.

* * *

"So here's what I was thinking," said Christina when Meredith sat down next to her. "But wait…before I say anything…are you going to freak out on me? Just tell me right now."

Meredith laughed. "I'm good."

"Okay." Christina handed her a badly wrapped lump. "Here. It's your Christmas present. I can't do the whole…give it to you in front of everyone thing."

Meredith eyed the package. "You really don't do Christmas, do you?"

"Just open it already before I change my mind."

Meredith opened it and took out a pair of skinny jeans and a tube of mascara.

"You practically worshipped the pair I wore that day to Joe's," said Christina, "so I went and got you a pair…a different wash though. We're not going to do the whole sister-same-clothes thing. And the mascara's just…well, I know the one you wear isn't worth a crap. So…there you go. Merry Christmas."

"Thank you," said Meredith, looking down at them. She hugged Christina quickly before diving under the tree and coming out with a neatly wrapped box.

"Oh my God, there's a bow on it," groaned Christina. Then she laughed and grabbed the box to open it. After completely demolishing the wrapping paper, she ripped open the box and pulled out a shoulder bag.

"Yours is falling apart," said Meredith.

"Where'd you get it?"

"A flea market," Meredith joked.

"It's non-designer!" exclaimed Christina, pleased. "Thanks."

"Oh, and I'm letting you have one of my surgeries…your choice. Just tell me and it's yours. But only once, okay?"

"You really are my person."

"Duh."

* * *

"I hope I did the right thing," said Addison, collapsing on the couch next to Mark.

"What?" asked Alex, who happened to be sitting within earshot.

"She was telling Bree about her parents," said Mark. Addison looked at him. "What? Was I not supposed to tell?" he protested.

"What'd they do?" asked Alex.

Addison shook her head.

"Oh," said Alex, understanding. "Well, I know that I hated when people didn't think I was mature enough for something. You did the right thing."

"Karev, you aren't mature enough for a lot of things," said Mark dryly.

"Hey! We're not at work here," said Addison.

"Glad to see you noticed," said Derek sarcastically, sitting down in the group.

"I'm just saying," said Alex, "that I live here, so the rules are different."

Mark laughed. "Remember that the next time we're at work."

"You don't live here," said Derek.

"O'Malley's moving out. I'm moving in," said Alex.

"Since when do you live here?" asked Derek.

"Since Meredith asked me yesterday," he replied.

"I love how they live together," said Mark to Addison sarcastically. "That's just way too cute for words."

"You're being hypocritical," Addison said reasonably. "We all used to room together…back when we were all still broke."

"Correction," said Derek. "WE were broke…you were rich."

"I didn't like living on Mommy and Daddy's cushion," Addison protested. "The only reason they were giving me everything I wanted was because they didn't want me to be like Lydia."

Alex stifled a laugh.

"Shut up, Karev," said Mark. "How are you even in this conversation?"

"I love the fact that it took you ten whole minutes to figure that out."

Addison grabbed Mark's arm when it tensed. "We're in someone else's house. If you want to settle this outside, that's fine, but you'd be extremely stupid."

"Why don't you go into the kitchen?" asked Derek, trying to help Alex out.

"Izzie and George are in there baking. Not to mention that they're drunk beyond reason because of that recipe."

All three people looked extremely confused.

"Don't think about it," said Alex. "Just know that if you go in there, you die." He looked pointedly at Derek.

"I WAS HUNGRY!" he protested.

"Where's Burke?" asked Mark.

"Oh…I think he headed for the kitchen," said Alex.

"How is he allowed in and I'm not?" mused Derek. "Boyfriend totally trumps best friend's boyfriend."

"Burke taught Izzie how to make a turkey," said Alex. "He can do whatever the hell he wants."

The art of stifling a laugh was becoming a mandatory thing.

"But really, Addi," said Mark after they'd stopped. "You did the right thing. The truth is always better, no matter how much it hurts."

"Amen to that," said Derek thoughtfully.

"I hope you're right," Addison said nervously.

* * *

Burke came into the kitchen to get Callie some hot chocolate. She was afraid to go in. After he'd gotten the hot chocolate (and Callie had scurried away in fear), he'd decided that it was a good idea to stay in the kitchen with Izzie and George for the simple reason that drunkenness and baking (or anything involving fire for that matter) did not exactly go hand in hand.

"WHAT A BRIGHT TIME, IT'S THE RIGHT TIME, TO ROCK THE NIGHT AWAY," warbled George, singing to his own rhythm. Izzie had grabbed a pot holder and was now parading around the kitchen, swinging it in all directions.

Burke put a hand on his forehead. This whole situation was so ridiculous.

As soon as he'd finished his thought, he realized that there was a distinct burning smell in the air. About to ask how long the cake had been in the oven, he saw the cake burst into flames.

"Fire!!!" yelled Izzie suddenly.

"Those aren't the words!" George hollered back. "Oh…crap…FIRE!!!"

* * *

**Haha...don't I have the best cliffhangers? _Will Meredith's house burn down or not? _Please review!**


	22. The Fire

**Okay...the follow up to my pitiful cliffhanger...I think you'll like it. :D **

* * *

For a minute, the three surgeons stood, wide-eyed in disbelief in the kitchen. 

"SOMEONE GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER!" hollered Burke, as no one else was taking action.

"Where is the fire extinguisher?" yelled Izzie, also snapping into action.

"DON'T ASK ME!" yelled George. "I don't even live here!!!"

"Shut up!" said Izzie. "Neither of us is going to live here if we don't find it!!!"

"Well, don't just STAND there!" yelled Burke. "Let's look for it!"

"Can't we…?" started George.

"No!" said Izzie, slamming a cabinet door. "We're not telling Meredith because she will KILL us, do you hear me?"

"Too late," came a voice from the door.

Izzie, George, and Burke turned around. Meredith was standing in the doorway. All three of them cringed when she looked around the kitchen and sprinted for the pantry.

"IZZIE AND GEORGE, WHAT DID YOU DO?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Callie, oblivious to the whole situation, was looking out the window and saw Brianna sitting on the porch. She opened the door and stepped outside. 

"You really should come inside," she said, wrapping her arms around herself. She hadn't put on a jacket. "They say the snow might not stop until morning."

Brianna shrugged. "I'm fine."

Callie sat down next to her. "Addison told me what happened."

Brianna shrugged again.

"It sucks," said Callie, "when your parents let you down."

"It happened to you?" Brianna asked. She wouldn't be too surprised…pretty much everyone here had some kind of issue with their parents.

"Well, my parents were like…the opposite…kind of overprotective."

Brianna looked confused.

"My point is that…you're not the only one. I know where you're coming from. And sometimes you just…have to draw the line. I don't mean bend over backwards. You don't have to take everything from them sometimes. It's not like you're being ungrateful."

"You seem like you've given this speech before," said Brianna.

"Well, there are a lot of people who just need to stop and listen to themselves every once in a while," said Callie. "Maybe you should give your mother a chance…call her or something. You don't have to right now, but you could think about it."

Brianna nodded slowly.

"Well, I'm going to go inside. Just don't stay here until you get sick. I think your aunt would kill me."

"Thanks," said Brianna. She watched Callie go inside and wondered what she was going to do.

* * *

"What the heck is going on in the kitchen?" asked Jonah. She and Chris entered the living room. 

"Derek just went to find out what was…" started Addison when she was interrupted by a "GET OUT!" from the kitchen.

Derek ran back. "Apparently Izzie and George have started a fire in the kitchen."

Callie entered the room and sighed. "This is what happens when I leave for five minutes…what are they, drunk?"

"Um…" said Derek.

"My boyfriend is an idiot," said Callie, exasperated, as she collapsed on the couch by Addison.

"Oh, come on," said Alex good-naturedly. "It could be worse. The house could actually be burning."

"Um…" said Derek.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Mark.

"Meredith just yelled that it would be safer if we all got out of the house."

"It's freaking snowing outside !" exclaimed Christina. She got up off the couch anyway.

As they filed out the door, Addison turned to Mark. "Doesn't this remind you of that one time in Tahoe when we…"

"Can it, Addison," said Derek and Mark at the same time.

* * *

"How many times have I told you that we DON'T BAKE WHEN WE'RE DRUNK?" hollered Meredith. "I said that you can do whatever you want in my kitchen as long as you weren't hurting anyone!" She grabbed the fire extinguisher and aimed it. "One of you open the oven!"

"It'll get bigger," said Burke, "from the oxygen."

"HOW ELSE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO PUT IT OUT?" said Meredith. "You open it! You were the only sober person in the room, and therefore, you're equally responsible!"

"What kind of logic is that?"

"OPEN THE FREAKING OVEN!"

Burke grabbed the potholder out of Izzie's hand and opened the oven, jumping back quickly. Meredith aimed and fired. Izzie cringed. As soon as the fire was out, Meredith turned around and aimed it at Izzie and George, who jumped back in surprise.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR ALMOST BURNING MY HOUSE DOWN!" she yelled.

"WE DIDN'T MEAN TO!" yelled Izzie, grabbing an empty cake pan and holding it in front of her race.

"WE'RE SORRY MEREDITH!" yelled George, trying to climb behind Izzie.

Meredith dropped the extinguisher and looked around. The kitchen was a complete mess, covered with foam and charred metal. The cake was a burnt mess in the oven. She shook her head and sighed. "I know. You aren't the first ones to do something stupid when you're drunk. Besides…I think you've had punishment enough." Izzie and George were covered in foam.

"Can I…" asked Izzie.

"Go take a shower," said Meredith. "George, you can go too." As they scurried out of the kitchen, Meredith made for the living room.

"I need to tell everyone that we're in fact, not going to spend the night in the snow."

"So I'm free to go?" Burke joked.

Meredith shrugged. "Yeah." She walked out of the kitchen. "I'm so letting Christina take care of you," she muttered.

* * *

"What's going on?" asked Brianna as the stampede of people came out onto the porch.

"The house is burning down," Alex informed her matter-of-factly.

"Oh," said Brianna lightly, "that explains everything." She got up and went down the steps into the yard.

"If we have to spend the night out in the SNOW," said Christina, "I'm going to be so pissed."

"It totally wouldn't surprise me," said Alex. "Last Christmas sucked."

"Let's make a truce," said Derek. "How about…we never, ever talk about anything that's happened to us back in Christmas in New York? Ever."

"Deal," said Mark immediately.

Addison pouted. "That's only because you were thinking of the time that we…"

"SHUT UP, ADDISON."

Addison giggled. "Oh man, that would have made a good story too."

"Do we have a deal?" asked Derek.

Mark and Addison nodded.

Jonah sat down on the floor. "Let's look at the bright side of things. It's like…two in the morning…so four more hours and it would be Christmas Eve."

Everyone looked at her.

"Or we could just sleep in our cars," she said. "Geez…tough crowd."

Meredith came out on the porch. "Hey, everyone can come back inside. Fire's gone." She was followed by a chorus of "Oh thank God".

"My oven's never going to work again and I'm probably going to have to claim insurance for my kitchen, but everything's fine."

"Suddenly, I'm so exhausted," said Callie. Addison patted her shoulder comfortingly.

"We're going to need room assignments," Derek told Meredith.

"Oh, joy," said Meredith sarcastically.

"Let's go inside first," suggested Chris. "It's freezing."

Everyone filed inside, Meredith at the back of the line. Brianna fell into step beside her and flashed a tiny smile.

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire," she sang cheerfully.

Meredith shook her head. "It only it was that simple."

* * *

**I'll have sleeping assignments in the next one. Should be interesting...:D**


	23. Sugar Plums

**In Izzie's words, "Yay!" I really wanted to get this up before I left for three days. In this chapter, we have room assignments, more presents, bicycle pumps, and pillow fights...a bunch of stuff I think you guys will like. Chris also actually talks in this chapter!!! (Yay!)**

**Don't forget to review!!!**

* * *

"Holy crap," said Christina. "Do you have any idea how much this is going to cost?"

"Let's see," said Alex, looking at the damage. "You're going to need a new oven, stove, microwave, countertop…"

"Don't remind me," said Meredith. She sat at the kitchen table, writing on a piece of paper. "I have a living room full of people who are waiting to hear their room assignments."

"This is so ridiculous," said Christina.

"You know what's ridiculous?" asked Meredith. "I have three bedrooms and four couples, and that's even if I put all the single people in the living room."

"Let's look at the bright side. No one's died. Yay!" said Alex, mimicking Izzie.

"They could drown in the shower," said Christina. "How drunk were they, anyway?"

"This is us we're talking about," said Meredith. "What do you think?"

"You're going to punish them, I hope," said Alex.

"Oh, they're paying for that," said Meredith. "And they're doing groceries for me. I don't care if George lives here or not. AND…" She cut off Alex, who was about to laugh. "…if I catch you laughing at her, I'm punishing you too."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Give it a rest, Alex," said Christina. "You live under her roof. Therefore, she can basically tell you what to do."

"I don't live here yet!"

"Can I hurt him?" asked Christina. "I want to hurt him."

"Go right ahead," said Meredith. "I'm putting you guys in the same room."

"What?"

"What?"

Meredith laughed. "You guys really need to lighten up. But seriously, keep it up and I'll do it."

"Yes, Mommy," said Alex.

"What possessed you to ask him to move in?" Christina asked Meredith. She turned to Alex. "You are so lucky I'm not the one with the house. You'd be so buried in my backyard."

"I'm wondering why you aren't buried in my backyard," muttered Meredith. She put her pen down with a clank. "I'm ready."

* * *

"Can she really fit thirteen people into this house?" asked Addison. 

"Well, let's figure it out," said Callie. "There's what…three bedrooms? And then there's the living room…"

"Of course she's going to be able to fit everyone in here," interrupted Derek.

"They're just bored, Derek," said Brianna.

Mark eyed the Christmas tree. "Well, we have a room full of people and a living room with a tree…with presents under it."

Everyone turned toward the tree.

"You know, we have this tradition in my family," said Chris to Jonah. "We read the presents out loud and then open them one at a time so that we can appreciate the value and thought put into the present. We could do that. Or we could just grab them."

"I think we're grabbing them," whispered Jonah.

"GO!" No one knew who had shouted the command, but everyone dove for the tree. Brianna and Jonah quickly burrowed their way to the back and began throwing presents out into the crowd of surgeons, who were now on their hands and knees, tearing open presents without so much as a look at the tag.

"Hey!" shouted Derek suddenly. "We probably shouldn't throw them…what if they're breakable?"

A present hit the ground with a crash that sounded too much like breaking glass.

"Too late," said Addison dryly.

"PRESENTS!" shouted Izzie as she ran down the stairs, almost breaking her neck when she tripped on the rug.

"I have no idea how you still have energy to yell," said George. Both of them took a flying leap into the crowd of people under the tree.

"Just be thankful that we didn't know her when she was eight years old," Callie advised him breathlessly.

"Hey! She's coming!" yelled Brianna from behind the tree. She and Jonah slid out from under the tree.

Meredith stepped out into her living room, Christina and Alex in tow, to see ten people sitting on the floor in the middle of wrapping paper. Raising an eyebrow, she glanced down at the list.

"Okay, good thing everyone's here so I only have to say this once."

Brianna snorted. Addison grabbed her arm, her finger flying to her lips.

"Okay…Christina and Burke, you can stay in Izzie's room. George, you can stay in your old room with Callie. Addison and Mark can stay in the study, and Jonah, Chris, Alex, Izzie, and Brianna are going to stay in the living room. I think I have a couple air mattresses…we can use those."

"How big is the study?" Mark asked Izzie. Addison swatted his arm.

"We're guests. What kind of manners are those?"

"Okay, as far as bathrooms…we have one downstairs and two upstairs. There are two showers which you are welcome to use…am I forgetting anything?"

Everyone shook their heads.

* * *

"Don't you think that it's weird that we're the ones who live here and we're the ones who get the sleeping bags in the living room?" Izzie asked Alex. Meredith only had one air mattress, and that one went to Jonah and Chris, who were eagerly tackling the task of blowing it up on the other side of the room. The air pump was broken and the two were now trying out a bicycle pump. 

Alex rolled his eyes. "You do know that we're going to be the only people in the house not getting laid tonight."

Izzie put toothpaste on her toothbrush. "I'd rather not think about that right now. I do hope for Brianna's sake that if someone decides that they can't control themselves for eight hours, they're at least quiet about it." Alex and Izzie looked at Brianna, who had her iPod in her ears as she brushed her teeth.

Alex spit into the sink. "Dude, we're spending the night with our boss's niece."

Izzie shrugged. "It could be worse. "

Alex rinsed his toothbrush. "Don't say that. Whenever you say something can get worse, it um…oh yeah, GETS WORSE."

Brianna took her earphones out and spit into the sink. "Do either of you snore? I'm a light sleeper."

Alex and Izzie exchanged a glance.

* * *

"Get off the bed, Jonah," laughed Chris. "There's no way this thing is going to fill up."

Jonah pouted. "You know how much I like to see you work." She got off the bed and grabbed the pump. "My turn."

"So these people from work, they seem nice," said Chris, sitting beside Jonah.

"Aren't you glad we moved?" she asked him.

He nodded, smiling.

"The program is great. I'm just so glad you love it here as much as I do."

He laughed. "I was fine with the rain…not that big of a fan of snow though. I'll get over it. This happens, what, once every ten years?"

Jonah nodded. "That's what I've heard." She looked up at the window. "Can you believe it's still going? What time is it?"

"Three in the morning."

"Is it? It feels like ten. My internal clock is so screwed up."

"Let's look at the bright side. This is the most time we've spent together in a while," said Chris. "And this is the best Christmas I've ever had, considering that my parents live all the way in Europe and I never see them."

"You mean that?" Jonah asked, still pumping.

"Yeah. You're my family, Jonah. I wouldn't rather spend Christmas with anyone else. That being said, seeing as we're in this living room with no privacy, I did bring something I thought you'd like." He pulled out a packet of Bubblicious from his back pocket, unwrapped one, and put it into Jonah's mouth.

"You didn't!" exclaimed Jonah. "I love strawberry!"

"Start chewing," said Chris. "This is going to be fun."

* * *

Addison came out of the bathroom in one of Izzie's shirts and a pair of her sweatpants. When she walked into the study, Meredith and Mark were already in there setting up a sleeping bag on the floor, complete with sheets and pillows.

"There's a crack in the insulation," Meredith was saying, "so if you get cold, just put something into the crack in the window. I wouldn't do that unless you're freezing though, because the air tends to get humid and…yeah."

"Thank you," said Addison. "I think we'll be fine." Meredith nodded and left the room.

"Let me know if you need anything," she called.

"What are you thinking?" asked Mark, seeing the smile on Addison's face.

"She's handling this so well. It's just…cool to watch, I guess. I'll be right back. I'm going to talk to Brianna."

"Okay."

* * *

George and Callie actually ended up having clothes at Meredith's that they hadn't picked up, so they had something to sleep in. Now they were laying in bed, listening to people walking by outside.

"George," asked Callie, "what exactly possessed you to drink and bake at the same time?"

"Callie!"

"I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm just asking. I'm not mad."

George shrugged. "I don't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time? I can't really come up with a good answer to that."

"Okay," said Callie. "I was just asking. For a minute there, I thought we'd be stranded out there in the snow."

George sat up, grabbed his pillow, and whacked Callie with it.

"Hey!" she yelled, grabbing her pillow and hitting him.

"You asked for it!" Whack.

"George, do you seriously want to mess with me?" Whack.

"Bring it on!" Whack.

* * *

"Nice room," Burke commented as he walked into Izzie's room.

"That," said Christina, hopping on the bed, "is one of the perks of having Meredith as your best friend. You get the best room."

"Is that right?" Burke asked, amused.

"Stick with me and you'll go places." Burke hopped on the bed and poked her stomach, causing her to start laughing. When they stopped, they realized that they were joined by the laughing next door.

"What is that?" Christina asked.

"I think they're having a pillow fight," answered Burke.

"A pillow fight?" asked Christina. "What are they, ten?"

"Are you the only one who's allowed to have fun?" asked Burke.

Christina merely banged on the wall next to her. Hard.

"Sorry!" yelled George.

"Are we turning into happy people?" asked Christina.

Burke shook his head vehemently. "No."

"Good."

* * *

"Are you hiding?" Meredith asked Derek as soon as she walked into their room. He was lying in bed with a pillow over his face.

"No, I'm just exhausted. I can't remember the last time I slept. That's bad, right?"

"Maybe you're getting old," Meredith suggested innocently. Derek sat up immediately.

"You did not just say that." He got out of bed and they had a very short chase (because really, in a bedroom, where are you going to run), and it ended with Meredith pinned down under him on the bed.

"Okay! Okay! You're not old!" she yelled, squealing as he pinched her sides.

Derek stopped. "Good. Wow, you really are better, aren't you?"

"It just all of a sudden went away," said Meredith.

"Are you ever going to go Black Friday shopping again?"

"I don't know," said Meredith. "I hate shopping, but it was fun…so, we'll see."

"Everyone's tucked in bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads?"

"Everyone's in bed," said Meredith. "I highly doubt anyone's going to sleep. Everyone knows that we're not going to be able to get to work tomorrow anyway."

"Well, for the record, I think you're a very good hostess."

"Thank you," said Meredith. Suddenly, she burrowed down under the covers. "It's FREEZING," she said.

"That's why it's snowing outside," Derek reminded her, reaching up to turn off the light.

"Shut up," said Meredith, curling into his side. She laughed as she heard Christina yelling at Callie and George to keep it down.

"I don't think we're going to sleep tonight," said Derek.

"Yeah," said Meredith. He could almost see her wince in the dark as she heard a crash. "Me either."

* * *

**Okay, in the next chapter...Brianna and Addison talk again, we get a little more Maddison (because there was a serious lack of it in this chapter), and the burning question...what are Jonah and Chris going to do with that bubble gum?**

**Also, by request, Maddek Christmas stories!!!**


	24. Late Night Conversation

**Here we go! Happy 4th of July to all the Americans out there!!! Anyway, it's a little late, but it's everything I promised. Please don't forget to give Lucky Bear a hug! She loves the 4th of July!**

* * *

When Addison entered the living room, Jonah and Chris appeared to be trying to set the record for chewing a whole pack of Bubblicious. Izzie and Alex were trying to figure out how to sleep in the least awkward position, and Brianna appeared to have taken over the blowing up of the air mattress.

"Hey, Addison, do you chew?" asked Jonah, shoving another piece of gum in her mouth.

"Do I what?" asked Addison. "Chew?"

"Gum," said Chris, laughing. "Here. Try one."

"I'll pass," said Addison, gesturing to her mouth. "Maybe in the morning. I just brushed my teeth."

"We'll hold you to that, _Doctor_," giggled Jonah. Chris emphasized her point by blowing a rather large bubble and letting it pop with a very satisfying _smack_. Addison merely shook her head, laughing at how they could find so much pleasure in such a simple thing, and walked over to the other corner of the living room.

"Here," Izzie was saying, "Brianna can sleep on the couch and you and I can sleep here."

"But there aren't enough blankets," said Alex. "If we use the sleeping bag and she takes…what, two blankets? Then we only have one. That's not enough."

"So wear an extra sweatshirt or something, Alex. It's not that big of a deal," said Izzie, already pulling a large, hot pink sweatshirt over her clothes.

"Oh, that's great," said Alex. "I'm going to wake up, look at you, and have a heart attack."

"Shut up, Alex."

Brianna looked up when she saw Addison, still using the pump. "When does Santa get here?" she asked innocently. Everyone started laughing, including Jonah, who promptly spit her gum out.

"Aw man," she said, staring down where it was stuck to the floor. "That was a good one too." She proceeded to try and get it off.

"You don't mind if I borrow Brianna for a little bit," said Addison to Izzie and Alex. It wasn't a question, just a cleverly disguised order. Both Izzie and Alex nodded. It wasn't like they were going to say no. They then began to argue about which sweatshirt Alex was going to use. ("I draw the line at pink, Izzie. There is no way in hell I'm wearing one of your pink Victoria's Secret sweatshirts to bed! I'd rather freeze.")

"They are so funny," giggled Brianna. "Anyway, what's up?"

"I was just going to ask if you were okay...if you wanted to talk about earlier," said Addison.

Brianna shrugged. "It's their situation. I can't really do anything. Thanks for telling me though."

Addison took out her phone. "Why don't you call her?"

"It's so late," said Brianna.

Addison shook her head. "It's six in the morning over there right now. She's up. Believe me. We Montgomery women…sleeping late isn't an option. Am I right?"

Brianna thought to herself. It really did make sense. "You're right."

"Listen," said Addison, "I know this is something you want to do by yourself, but…your mother loves you more than you know. Even if it doesn't seem like it, she does. Unconditionally. Not like our parents loved us. And that's something really special. So just, give her a chance, okay?"

"I will," said Brianna. "That's what families are supposed to do, right?"

Addison hugged her. "You are such a good kid. Your mother would be proud. _I'm_ proud of you."

"Thanks," said Brianna. "I'm proud of you too." Addison laughed.

"Good night!"

"Good night." Addison left to go back into the study. When she turned around, Brianna was still staring at the phone.

* * *

"I think they've finally stopped screaming," said Izzie happily. "I think Christina and Callie just got tired and finally went to sleep. But just in case, look what I got." She held up a bag of earplugs. "I got them out of Meredith's bathroom." 

"YES!" whisper-shouted Alex, grabbing a pair. He held out a pair to Jonah and Chris. "Want some?"

"You'll need them, we promise," said Izzie.

Jonah and Chris looked at each other. "I tell you what," said Jonah, "if we insure that you don't hear any noise all night, will you promise to stay in the living room…all night?"

"I don't sleepwalk," said Alex slowly. "The point of the earplugs is to sleep. And that's what I intend to do. I've been up for 24 hours, and I don't care how many times I've been up that long before. I like sleep." He flopped down on the sleeping bag to prove his point.

"Way to _rant_, Alex," said Izzie. She looked at Jonah and Chris. "I'll stay here, and I'll make sure McSleepy over here doesn't leave. Just um…don't break anything."

"What about you, Miss Brianna?" asked Jonah.

Brianna looked up. She was still holding the phone, sitting on the couch. "That works for me," she said cheerfully. "Go ahead."

Jonah and Chris ran out of the room, still chewing their gum.

"What are they going to do?" asked Brianna.

"I'd rather not know," said Izzie tiredly, laying back.

Brianna lay down. "Do either of you have any advice on mothers?"

"That is…" started Izzie.

"…so not our area," finished Alex from under the pillow he had

"I figured," said Brianna. "Thanks anyway."

"You Mc-ified me," said Alex. "And you're not even Christina or Meredith."

Izzie patted Alex's chest. "Just go to sleep, okay? Your brain isn't functioning."

"Mmm…Night," mumbled Izzie.

"Night," giggled Brianna.

"Night," said Izzie.

* * *

"How'd it go?" Mark asked Addison as soon as she was back in the room. 

"Good," she said, taking off the blanket she'd wrapped around her shoulders. "But I didn't really expect it to go any other way. She's such a good kid."

Mark propped himself up on an elbow. "And you're such a good aunt." Addison shook her head. "Seriously," said Mark. "You just met the girl what, a year ago? It's like you've known her for your whole life."

"Well, maybe a little," said Addison, laughing as Mark pulled her down next to him and kissed her. "What was that for?" she asked.

"I can honestly say that this has been one of the craziest Christmases ever, and I have you to thank for that."

Addison rolled over to look at him. "Thanks, I think."

"It's also been one of the best Christmases ever. I missed you," Mark went on, smoothing the hair that the blanket had frizzed.

"I missed you too," said Addison. "But I'm not going anywhere."

"You mean that?" asked Mark.

"I do," said Addison. "Besides, it sucks spending Christmas alone."

Mark looked around. "We're in a house with eleven other people, Addi. Not to mention sleeping underneath a desk. We're hardly alone."

Addison glared. "You know what I mean." She adjusted the pillow. "Now go to sleep. God knows what's going to happen tomorrow."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, somehow we all have to get out of here…and there's the snow…and Meredith's going to need help cleaning up this place…there's no way she's going to clean this up herself…"

"Addi?"

"What?"

"You worry too much. Go to sleep."

Addison giggled and kissed him quickly. "You're right. Good night."

Mark was about to respond when he heard a thump outside the door, followed by a "Crap!"

"What was that?" he asked Addison.

Addison looked at the door. "I don't really want to know."

Mark looked thoughtful. "Addi?"

"What?"

"Remember that time we decided to spend Christmas in Tahoe?"

"I thought you were going to sleep."

"And the three of us got snowed in just like this."

"We agreed not to talk about this, remember?"

"To Derek," Mark reminded her, tapping her on the nose. "This is just us."

Addison grinned. "I remember I was so pissed at you for not staying at a hotel...no, you had to be MOUNTAIN MEN...or whatever the hell you call it...and 'brave the elements'. And we were stuck out there with no power and seven feet of snow around our door."

"That was fun!" protested Mark.

"You thought it was fun," corrected Addison.

"Well, you have to admit that skiing our way out of there the next day was pretty awesome."

Addison rolled her eyes. "You better be thankful that we've been skiiing since we could walk."

"Going off that cliff...highlight of my whole year..."

"_Landing_ when we went off that cliff...highlight of my whole year...whose idea was it to go there for Christmas anyway?"

"I have no idea," said Mark. "I don't remember." He sat up suddenly. "Hey, I almost forgot!"

"What?" asked Addison.

"Your Christmas present," said Mark.

"Oh," said Addison, thinking back to the many presents she'd ripped open downstairs. She didn't really remember who any of them were from and blushed when she realized this.

"Don't worry about it," said Mark. "Just open it."

Addison obeyed and lifted out the tiny bird from the box. "Another dove?"

"Well, I know how much of a Christmas freak you are, and so now you have two turtle doves, which leaves the partridge in a pear tree...you don't mind if I get that next Christmas?"

Addison hooked her finger around the dove. "I doubt anything could top this Christmas."

"Oh, come on Ad, you know how much I love a challenge."

Addison shrugged. "It's your choice. But for now...I think we should try to sleep some before we have everyone up tomorrow morning." They immediately flopped down on the pillows, careful not to hit their heads on the desk.

"You know," said Mark, "we're sleeping in an office."

Addison raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"You don't think that's sexy at all?"

"Mark?"

"What?"

"Go to sleep."

* * *

"Explain to me how this works again," said Jonah. She handed Chris yet another chewed wad of bubble gum, which he was strategically working around the doorknob. 

"It's simple," said Chris. "You work it in exactly the right place, and the door won't open."

"So you're going to lock everyone in their rooms…and we have the rest of the house to ourselves," said Jonah.

"Yup," said Chris.

"This is why I love you."

Chris laughed. "Is that all you keep me around for?"

Jonah looked at the ceiling. "That and the bubble gum."

"One more door," Chris promised. "Then…"

"Bathroom?" suggested Jonah.

"Sounds good."

* * *

**I know what you're thinking...I'll have more Maddek Christmas stories (from Derek yay!) and stuff for everyone else in the next chapter. Thanks!**


	25. Late Night Conversation, Part 2

**In this chapter, Meredith and Derek discuss Christmas in general, we see the backlash of the Callie/Christina wallfight, Brianna finally calls her mother and Alex and Izzie discover something strange...**

**Meanwhile, everyone in the house is blissfully asleep and unaware of what is going on (lucky them). Enjoy!**

* * *

Meredith heard a distinct _thump_ outside her room and sat up straight in bed, shivering at the sudden blast of cold. "What was that?" 

"I don't know," muttered Derek. "Lay back down. You're letting the warm out." When she didn't listen, he blindly started reaching up for her.

"Derek," said Meredith, trying to stay reasonable for his half-asleep, completely unreasonable state. "Someone is making noises outside my room in my house and I want to know what is going on. My kitchen is almost gone after tonight! Can you blame me?" She looked on the floor, grabbing her clothes that had been thrown down on the floor. Then, on second thought, she grabbed an extra blanket to wrap around herself. "I'm getting up to find out what it is."

"Mer," said Derek, trying to ease into the warm spot she left in bed, "it took an hour for the constant banging on the wall to stop. And now we are sleeping. So sleep."

"We were part of the reason for the banging on the wall," Meredith reminded him, tapping his nose.

"Your house is going to be fine," said Derek. "Come back to bed. Stop worrying. You worry too much."

"I have this horrible fear that I'm going to wake up and not have a house left."

"And that's the problem," mumbled Derek, half to Meredith, half to the pillow. "Like I said, you worry too much. Come back. Make me warm. Don't worry. Be happy."

Meredith sighed. "Fine. But if I get up in the morning and they've damaged any more of my property, you totally owe me, mister."

"And I'll pay," said Derek, rolling back over so she could have her spot back. "I promise. It's so _cold_."

Meredith took off her robe and threw it over Derek's head. "You are such a baby. Aren't you the one who lived in New York? Isn't it way colder over there?"

Derek pulled the robe off his head and sat up. "You really weren't joking when you said we weren't sleeping, were you?"

"Hey, I'm lying down. I'm going to sleep," said Meredith, wondering if she could sleep underneath her top sheet. She decided that getting up, grabbing the sheet, and physically trying to get under it would be too much work.

"It's too late," sighed Derek. "I'm already awake. And to answer your question, I rarely spent Christmas in New York. Are you kidding me? The place is swarming with tourists."

"I'm guessing that you're not one of those 'magic of the city' kinds of Christmas guys."

"To me, Christmas is…Christmas is when you wake up in the morning and you look outside and there's just this…blanket of untouched snow. And you can see the trees and everything, and there are no streets."

"You're a Christmas card kind of guy," said Meredith.

"What?"

"You know…the Christmas card…the one with the log cabin and the tree…and the snow…"

Derek shrugged. "It's a nice thing. You should try it sometime. That's how I always used to spend Christmas. There was this awesome ski resort that we'd go to…well, there was this one Christmas we tried spending at home. It was a disaster."

"We would mean you, Addison, and Mark, right? Story time!" commented Meredith.

"You really want to hear?" asked Derek.

"Hey," said Meredith, propping herself up on an elbow. "I don't mind. This is your life, and you don't have to let anything out for my benefit. This is us. We're communicating. And that means no secrets because we don't do too well with those."

"I know," said Derek, "but this…you…Seattle…this is all new to me. That was my life before, and this is my life now."

"And I'm telling you that I don't mind," said Meredith. "Now come on. It's been a while since I've heard a good story."

"No story," said Derek. "It was always the four of us. Me, Addison…out in the wilderness, Mark, whoever Mark's fling was that week…hurling ourselves off a cliff on two sticks strapped to our feet. It was fun."

"You are insane."

"The year at home was worse," said Derek.

"What happened?" asked Meredith.

"Well," said Derek, "let's see…you know how you almost burned your kitchen down because of drunken baking?"

"Yes," said Meredith, "and it WASN'T ME. That was George and Izzie."

"Well," said Derek. "We had drunken marshmallow roasting in the fireplace."

"And the…" said Meredith.

"Yes."

"And you…"

"Yes."

"Oh my God. Were you okay?"

"Yeah," said Derek. "Thankfully Mark's girlfriend wasn't nearly as much of a drunk was we first thought. Naturally, the whole thing was his fault."

"How was it Mark's fault?" asked Meredith.

"He convinced us that he could shove a whole s'more into his mouth, and naturally, when you're watching to see if he's going to do it or not, you take your attention off the fireplace, including the marshmallow skewers we left in there. And those caught fire and they spread and…it was pretty bad."

"You are insane."

"That's practically a requirement to live here," said Derek. "Okay, story time's over. Now can we please get some sleep?"

"I guess," sighed Meredith. "I suppose if anything does happen, I could just throw everyone out on their asses."

"Into the snow," said Derek, pulling the blankets over his head. "So once again, good night."

"Night," said Meredith.

* * *

"This sucks," said Callie, flopping back on the bed. 

"Callie, you have to understand," said George. "There was no way Christina was going to stop the banging first. Therefore, you had to do it."

"She's going to hold this over my head forever," said Callie. ""This is really pissing me off. I hate losing."

"Just because you stopped banging first does not make you a loser," said George.

"No," said Callie, pouting, "it makes it all your fault. You were the one who made me."

"Okay," said George, sitting up. "Number one, no one MADE you do anything. You know that. Number two, I only did it out of love for you."

"Love for me…okay. Not getting that part at all."

"Well, if you didn't stop banging, then Christina wouldn't have stopped banging, and you guys would have kept up said banging all night, causing Meredith to drag herself out of bed and kick all of us out into the snow. And we'd all catch cold and die, and I wouldn't want that to happen to you."

"George…that is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard."

"Do you forgive me, though?"

"Go to sleep."

"That's what I've been trying to do!"

"Stop talking. Close your eyes. Blank out your mind, which shouldn't be too hard for you."

"That was harsh."

"Do you want me to start the banging again?"

"Okay!" said George. "I'm sleeping." He rolled over. "How do I lose the argument when I'm right?"

"I'm a woman," said Callie, "and fortunately for me, you aren't."

"Lucky you," muttered George.

* * *

"I like her shower," said Jonah from the bathtub. "It's very comfortable to lie down in. My bathtub's tiny."

"Your bathtub's fine," said Chris.

"I suppose," sighed Jonah. "The bubble gum's wearing off. I'm tired. What time is it?"

"It's four in the morning," said Chris. "Oh, crap."

"What?"

"I have to call my mother in the morning. That should be cheerful."

"I should probably get myself out of the bathtub," said Jonah, glancing sideways but not moving. "If Meredith finds me in here in the morning, that would be pretty awkward, don't you think?"

"She wouldn't find you unless we took the gum off," said Chris, not moving either. "I should probably do that."

"Probably."

"Probably."

* * *

Izzie awoke with a jolt. Looking around, her breathing got easier as she realized she was not, in fact, falling off a cliff. She was about to roll over and go back to sleep (she had another 48 hour shift all through Christmas…lovely) when she noticed two very strange things. 

First, Jonah and Chris still weren't in bed, and second, Brianna wasn't either. She sighed because she really did not want to get up, so she turned to Alex, who, to her dismay, had taken all but two of the blankets.

"Alex, wake up," she whispered.

"What?" he asked, looking around sleepily. "It's not even morning. Are you insane?"

"Look around, Alex. When I went to sleep, there were five people in the living room. Now there's only two. Where did everyone go?"

"Why don't you look for them?"

"Why don't you? I've frozen my butt off for the last two hours. You go look for them."

Alex thought for a minute. On one hand, he could go back to sleep. On the other, it would be yet another thing he owed Izzie. Grumbling, he got out of bed. "I don't even know why it matters," he said, tossing her the blankets, which she snatched up. "How far can they get?"

Alex trudged to the bathroom, where he figured at least one of them had to be. On the way, he passed the front door and saw a flash of red. Nearing the window, he realized that Brianna was talking on the phone.

Well, he'd leave her alone. You had to have a good reason to call someone at this hour.

Was it just him or did he hear voices from upstairs? He dragged himself up the steps. When he got to the top, he saw the bubble gum on the doors a split second before Jonah and Chris came out of the bathroom.

Jonah's hand flew to her mouth to stifle a scream. Her other hand flew to her chest. "Damn, Alex. You sure know how to scare a girl."

"You're so busted," said Alex.

"Alex? When I said to go look for them, I meant for you to do it quietly. All I want is some slee..." She stopped short when she saw the three of them in the hallway. Then she saw the pink smears all over the doors. "What the hell did you do?"

* * *

**So I've got some good news!!! I think I can finally finish this thing. Two more chapters, you guys! I'm going to finish this before August!!!**

**Don't forget to review and send Lucky Bear a little love!**


	26. The Morning After

**This is the beginning of the end, guys! Just one more chapter after this. But don't worry. There's lots of fun stuff in this chapter, including what happens to the bubble gum. I think you'll like it. :) **

**It's now Christmas Eve for our favorite surgeons (just reminding those who I've confused with my insane timeline), the morning after the party at Mer's. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ow."

"Mmm…"

"Ow."

"What?"

"OW."

"What?"

"Arm."

"Sorry?"

"Arm! Arm, Addison, arm!" Mark looked at the end of his arm to see that the tips of his fingers were turning purple. He couldn't feel it anymore.

"Oh!" Addison rolled away, only to find herself smashed up against the desk. "This isn't going to work."

"Mmm…" He'd already gone back to sleep. Addison sighed, frustrated, pushing her messy hair out of her face. She was awake now and in absolutely no mood to be gentle. She took a deep breath, yanked the pillow out from under Mark's head and hit him with it before throwing it at him.

"Mark, GET UP AND MOVE before I really make you hurt."

"Evil redhead," Mark muttered, opening his eyes (painfully) to find that somehow, both of them had ended up jammed sideways under the desk.

"Manwhore," Addison shot back, and Mark wondered how, in her barely-there conscious state, she could still be able to come up with comebacks. She looked up, saw where they were, and leaned back against the desk, exasperated. "Why does this have to be so complicated?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Mark. "All we'd have to do is get out from under the desk…and drag the blankets with us…and then the ground will be cold…and…damn."

"My point exactly," muttered Addison. She slid slowly down the side of the desk until she was lying back down with her hands over her eyes. "You could move. And I could stay here."

"I'm not moving," said Mark. "You know I'd do anything for you. Just not that. Right now."

Addison opened one eye. "One of us has to move. There's only enough room for one person under here. Move."

"You move."

"You move. Or I'll sleep on top of you."

"Don't we sound mature," said Mark sarcastically, grabbing the pillow and putting it over his head as he flopped down on the floor. "You know what? Sleep on top of me. I don't care. I'm not moving."

"Fine," said Addison, rolling to the other side. "See if I care."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Go to sleep, Mark."

"I didn't start this."

"Oh my God!"

* * *

"You BUBBLE GUMMED the rooms? What the hell does that mean?" 

"Izzie, I think you need to calm down," said Alex. "Someone's going to wake up."

"I'm not going to wake them up. I hope they don't wake up for a very long time. Because this situation? Right now? Does not look very good. And I don't know about the rest of you but I like living here. Yes, it's kind of complicated with everything else that's going on here, but it's warm here! And the roof doesn't leak and I can get a ride to work…which saves the environment and WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

"She freaks out a lot," observed Chris. Izzie sprang toward him. Alex caught her and held her back.

"She's um…really sleep-deprived," said Alex.

"Nah…she's just being Izzie," said Jonah.

"_Get it off,_" said Izzie dangerously.

"Okay, we're going to need a jar of peanut butter, a sponge, and some water," said Chris, running a hand through his messy curls.

Alex and Jonah looked at Izzie.

"You both owe me a surgery. No, two surgeries," said Izzie, turning around to find the peanut butter. (After all, she was the only one who'd lived there long enough to know where the peanut butter was)

"Bubble gum! What the hell were they thinking?" muttered Izzie as she walked downstairs. A flash of red almost made her scream. "OH MY GOD!" Brianna had just stepped directly into her path.

"God, Izzie!" gasped Brianna. "You wanna give me a heart attack? Why are you up?"

"Why are you up?"

"I called my mom," said Brianna.

"Oh, is she okay?"

"Yeah," said Brianna. "It's fine. I'll be staying here for a little while longer, but…yeah. We're good." A small smile crossed her face before she stared at Izzie hard. "Now why are you here?" She glanced toward the living room. "Where _is_ everyone?"

"We're having a pajama party," said Izzie sarcastically. "They bubble gummed everyone into their rooms while they were…are…whatever. They're still asleep."

"Bubble what?"

"Just go back to sleep. It's better if less of us are involved."

"Are you kidding?" asked Brianna, running up the stairs. "This I have to see. Don't worry. I never get caught." She winked once at Izzie and ran up the stairs silently.

Izzie sighed and went to go get the peanut butter.

* * *

Meredith woke up the next morning with a start. She rolled over. "Derek! It's eight! We have to go to work in an hour!" 

"Aw man," he groaned into his pillow. Meredith hopped out of bed, slightly dizzy, grabbed her robe (it was freezing), and ran outside just in time to see Christina slam the door in George's face.

"Try to be faster next time, Bambi!" she yelled, cackling.

"Sometimes I think she's not human," said George, knowing that the person behind him was Meredith even before he turned around.

"You took a shower last night," Meredith reminded him. "Don't you remember?"

"Yeah…" George looked at Meredith guiltily. "Sorry about that. But I really have to go to the bathroom!"

"Well, it could have been worse," said Meredith laughing. "Go ahead and use my bathroom, George. But make it quick."

"Morning, George," said Derek, stepping out of Meredith's room. George raced past Derek into Meredith's room.

"Derek, Meredith," greeted Burke, already with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Sleep well?" asked Derek.

"As a matter of fact, I did," said Burke, continuing downstairs. Meredith and Derek followed in time to see Izzie, Alex, Jonah, Chris, and Brianna systematically making breakfast downstairs. Izzie seemed to be supervising the whole operation.

"Morning!" said Izzie cheerfully. "Everyone grab a plate!"

"You're a lifesaver," muttered Meredith to Izzie.

"No problem," replied Izzie. "For some reason, everyone was just _so eager_ to help me out today." Alex shot her a dirty look.

"What was that about?" asked Meredith. Izzie opened her mouth and Meredith held up her hands. "You know what? You can just tell me later…"

"Merry Christmas Eve," said Izzie in reply.

"These are really good," said Brianna. "I love pancakes. I…actually never have pancakes."

"WILL SOMEONE PLEASE GET CHRISTINA OUT OF THE BATHROOM?" hollered Callie.

"You're going to want to deal with that," said Derek, his mouth full of shredded wheat.

"Dude, how do you eat that?" asked Alex. "It's like…ew."

"Hey, the body is a machine," said Derek. "You've got to get it the right fuel."

"You remind me of my high school health class," piped up Izzie.

"Or you're just boring," laughed Alex.

"Or you've just never grown up," said Derek, equally as brightly.

"Down, boys," said Brianna, managing to look down her nose at them from where she was standing. "Finish your breakfast. There's a good boy!"

"My niece just called me 'boy,'" said Derek. "There's something wrong with that, right?"

"Wait, if Addison's your ex-wife," asked Jonah, "aren't you Brianna's ex-uncle?"

"Or Brianna's his ex-niece," said Chris thoughtfully.

"Nah," said Brianna. "I don't care what those two did. I'm not divorcing him." That resulted in a laugh which kept everyone preoccupied while Meredith was upstairs.

* * *

When Meredith did get to the top of the steps, Christina was running out of the bathroom in a towel, still very much soaking wet. 

"I'm sorry I have so much hair!" yelled Christina. "Do you know how many times I have to condition this?"

"Deal with it!" said Callie. "I need my shower or I'm pissy all day."

"Well, if you haven't noticed, there's the bathroom," said Christina. "And the door's open."

"Thank you!" exclaimed Callie, running inside.

"I need my…" started Christina. The door opened and Christina's clothes came flying at her.

"She's a lot of fun in the morning," said Christina sarcastically. "THANKS!"

"Don't mention it," Callie practically growled from the other side of the door.

"A lot like someone I know," commented Meredith, trying not to laugh. "There's breakfast downstairs."

"Who made it?" asked Christina carefully.

"Jonah, Chris, Alex, Brianna…Izzie's supervising!" said Meredith quickly.

"Okay…" said Christina. "Karev better not come anywhere NEAR what I put into my mouth." She started down the stairs.

"Have you seen Addison or Mark anywhere?" asked Meredith.

"No," said Christina. "Maybe they're still asleep. Someone was having a party out here last night."

"What do you mean?"

"I kept having the rats climbing up a drain dream," said Christina. "That means that someone was making way too much noise for the middle of the night."

"So the bump I heard was real!" said Meredith.

"I suppose," shrugged Christina. "Make sure nothing's broken. But, if it comes down to it, my money's on Alex. And you know, where my money is, is usually where it should be." Meredith rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to change," said Christina, before going back into her room and shutting the door.

"Addison! Mark!" Meredith called, knocking on their door. She waited a little while before pushing the door open. "Oh my God!"

At the slam of the door, Addison's eyes flew open and she realized that she had, in fact, ended up sleeping on Mark all night. And, judging by the angle Meredith had on them, they were in a pretty compromising position.

"Mark, get up."

"What? What's going on?" He looked at her. "Why are you on top of me?"

"Small desk, we were lazy…remember? Meredith's outside. She just walked in and…"

"Oh, right," said Mark. "I'll take care of that. Um…if you'd just…"

"Right," said Addison, rolling off him in such a way that she didn't pierce herself on a drawer handle. Instinctively, she started folding all the blankets in perfectly measured thirds.

"Hey," said Mark, running after Meredith outside. She'd barely had time to slam the door, and she hadn't gotten very far.

"It's fine," said Meredith. "I probably shouldn't have gone in."

"Why?" asked Mark. "It wasn't like you interrupted anything except for a dream about an eighteen wheeler on my chest…"

"I HEARD THAT!" hollered Addison from inside the room.

"I'm just joking, Addi," said Mark. "What is it with you women and your weight?"

Meredith cleared her throat, still waiting for an explanation.

"Right," said Mark. He quickly went through an explanation of what happened. When he was finished, Meredith was laughing.

"There's breakfast downstairs," laughed Meredith. "Addison, you can come out now."

"I wasn't hiding," said Addison, handing over the pile of folded blankets. She straightened her sweatshirt.

"Who made the breakfast?" asked Mark, as Meredith tried to hold the pile of pillows and blankets so that she could still see over it.

"Alex, Brianna, Jonah, Chris…Izzie's supervising."

"What?" asked Addison.

"Izzie!" said Meredith.

"Oh, well, in that case," said Addison, "we have nothing to worry about."

"Why does everyone think Alex is going to poison them?" muttered Meredith to her pile of blankets, as she walked away.

* * *

"Merry Christmas, Dr. Bailey!" gasped Jonah, sprinting by Bailey, trying to find her resident. 

"Merry Christmas Eve, Miranda," greeted Addison.

"Merry Christmas, Miranda," smiled Burke.

"Merry Christmas, Dr. Bailey," said Derek, waving.

"Merry Christmas, Dr. Bailey," muttered Mark.

"Merry Christmas Eve, Dr. Bailey!" exclaimed Izzie, almost bouncing in place.

"Merry Christmas, Dr. Bailey!" grinned George.

"Merry Christmas, Dr. Bailey," said Alex to the floor.

"Merry Christmas, Dr. Bailey," nodded Meredith.

"Happy Hanukkah," said Christina.

Bailey looked slightly amused at the interns in front of her, who were the only ones who hadn't run off for their morning paperwork. "Fun night?" she asked. Without waiting for a response, she handed out charts. "Welcome to Christmas shift," she said. "Oh, and Merry Christmas."

"I love Christmas at hospitals," said Christina, looking at her sheet.

Meredith, Izzie, George, and Christina just laughed.

* * *

**Reviews for Lucky Bear please:D**


	27. Happiness

**Wow, I am so sorry it's taken this long to get this up...seems I'm starting a lot of my notes to you guys with that. I'm so sorry. I really had it all nicely typed out. Then school started. Then my computer crashed, and here we are, September, about 9 months after I started this thing. A baby has been born since I've started this thing. And that's really long.**

**But anyway, this is my gift to you guys. I've got a little of everything in here. This chapter is dedicated to Jonah, who has faithfully reviewed this the whole way, and Erin, who inspired the little MerDer scene in here. I love you guys!!!**

**Okay, so in this chapter...follow up with "Baby Jesus"...a little bit of intern play...some shippy stuff...lots of tied up loose ends...and a proposal. :D Enjoy!**

* * *

"Your son is doing quite nicely. His vital signs are stable, and if all goes well, he should be ready to go home in a month," said Addison.

"The heart has taken quite nicely," said Burke. "We'll have to monitor him…"

"Could you call him Luke?" asked Mary politely. "That's what we've decided."

Meredith and Christina, waiting behind Addison and Burke, saw Addison try very hard to conceal a smile. "That would be fine," she said.

"We'll have to monitor Luke for about a month," continued Burke. "Then, if all goes well, he should be able to go home with you."

"We'd just like to thank you for all your help," said Joseph. "Mary and I are truly blessed." Mary smiled at them, then looked over at Luke, who was sleeping peacefully. "You too," he added, to Meredith and Christina.

"Just doing our job," said Addison. "We'll leave you two alone with your son." Burke motioned to Meredith and Christina to follow him and Addison out of the room.

As soon as they were out of the room, Meredith and Christina turned around and waited for their assignments.

"Okay…" Addison studied both girls. "Meredith, once Mr. and Mrs. Nazar leave, you monitor Luke for the rest of the day. Page me if anything happens. Christina…"

"Christina will be getting the food for the Christmas party," interrupted Burke.

"Okay, then," said Addison. "We'll see you around." They turned around and left.

"I think it's better that they didn't name him Jesus…or some form of that," said Christina. "I think I like those people. Have fun watching Baby Jesus."

"Have fun being Santa's Little Helper."

* * *

"Alex, you busy?" 

Alex looked at the large pile of labs he had to deliver. "Not really."

"Great," said Christina, tossing him a key. "You want to go pick up Christmas dinner? I'll run those labs for you."

"Oh no," said Alex, holding up his hands. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you do that. Because then, when a random surgery comes in, you'll be here. I won't. I'm not stupid."

Christina shrugged. "Fine, I'll go. You might be rethinking that when I tell Meredith what you and Izzie were doing last night." She turned around and started walking toward the front of the hospital.

"Wait!"

Christina turned around, a wicked look in her eyes. "What?"

"What did you see?"

"Everything," said Christina. "Bubble gum…seriously, the things you guys do…"

Alex took the keys.

"Merry Christmas! You're an angel!" Christina called out sarcastically.

"Alright," said Bailey to the assembled group of interns (minus Meredith and Alex) in front of her. "Dr. Torres will be in charge. If I have to come down here because of one of you does something stupid, I swear to God, Christmas or not…do you understand?"

"Yes, Dr. Bailey," the interns chorused. As soon as she'd turned the corner, Christina turned to the others. "I'm scrubbing in…if anyone sees Alex, please tell him 'haha' for me, would you?"

Izzie checked her watch. "The carolers are almost here! If you need me, I'll be in peds."

That left George. "Am I the only one who doesn't have anything to do?"

"George! Flu vaccines!" called Callie. "They need volunteers!" She paused at the look on George's face. "Hey, you asked."

* * *

Meredith was dozing off in the NICU rocking chair when Derek came in. He snuck up behind her and covered her eyes. "You should be paying attention to the patient," he murmured in her ear, just loud enough that she jumped in the chair, grabbing his hands with hers and dragging them with her hands. 

"Oh my God, Derek. I thought someone was attacking me! Don't scare me like that."

"Attacking you…in the middle of all these babies?" asked Derek.

"I was falling asleep. How was I supposed to know?"

"Are you awake now?"

"Yes, no thanks to you," she huffed, getting out of the chair to check on Luke. After a few moments, she made a tiny note on his chart. "He's getting stronger."

Derek smiled, before putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're shaking."

"I'm not completely conscious yet. I didn't mean to…fall asleep. It's just really…easy to fall asleep."

"You're not making any sense," said Derek, moving his hand to the top of her chest. "It's fine. You think I'd bust you on Christmas?"

"What are you doing?"

"Your heart's racing."

"That's from when you woke me up." She placed her hand on top of his. "Your hands are freezing."

"Breathe in, Meredith. It's not good for you."

Meredith sighed, closed her eyes, and inhaled slowly.

"Breathe out."

Meredith opened one eye. "I know how to breathe, you know." But she obeyed.

Derek waited until her heart slowed down before taking his hand off her chest. When Meredith opened her eyes, he was smiling. "Merry Christmas."

Meredith didn't return the greeting, but she did smile back, and that was good enough.

* * *

"Where's Christina?" asked Alex, hurrying to put down several casseroles. 

"Oh…I don't know…surgery, I think," said Izzie. "Oh! She says to tell you 'haha.'"

"She totally blackmailed me. She knows what happened last night…Izzie, are you listening?"

"It's Christmas, Alex. Let it go." They had a brief staring battle over this (Izzie won) before Alex rolled his eyes. "Well, I picked something up for you while I was out." He rummaged around in a plastic bag and pulled out a stuffed bunny. "It screamed 'Izzie,' so here you go. Merry Christmas."

Izzie accepted the bunny, slightly surprised. "You already got me something."

"If you don't want it, I can take it back…or donate it to peds."

"No!" Izzie held the bunny closer to her. "I love bunnies. Thanks."

Alex laughed. "You're welcome."

"Stevens, Karev…thank God," said Callie, running in and looking very tired. "We need more help with vaccines. You're not busy, right?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Great…go ahead to the ER."

Izzie and Alex exchanged a look. "Okay." They didn't get very far, though, before they were stopped.

"Izzie! Alex! Great! You get to be the first to know!" Jonah was bouncing up and down, black curls springing all over the place.

Izzie and Alex jerked their heads toward Callie. Jonah's eyes widened. "Oh." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Where are you going?"

"Flu vaccines…we'll walk and you talk," suggested Izzie.

The smile returned to Jonah's face. "Okay." The three continued down the hallway. Callie, satisfied, nodded and walked the other way. When Jonah saw this, she started talking again. "You're never going to guess what happened this morning."

"Christina knows about the bubble gum?" asked Alex. "We already knew that. I have no idea how she found out. She was in her room all night! Does she sleep at all? What _is_ that?"

Jonah held out her left hand. A cluster of diamonds sparkled on the appropriate finger.

Izzie's eyes got huge. "He didn't!"

"He did! This morning, right after we left," said Jonah breathlessly. "We're getting married!"

"Congrats," said Alex, nodding. "That's great."

"You guys are the first to know," said Jonah, as they approached the ER. "Anyway, I'm going to go tell everyone else before Debbie does it for me. I'll see you guys later. This is the best Christmas ever!" She bounced away happily.

Izzie sighed. "How romantic is that?"

Alex shook his head. "Too much for me. Come on, we have a bunch of screaming kids to stick needles into."

Izzie spotted George right away. "George! Have you talked to Jonah yet?"

"No…why?"

"She and Chris are engaged!"

"Izzie, she wanted to tell everyone herself," hissed Alex.

"So he'll pretend he hasn't heard yet!" exclaimed Izzie. "I had to tell _someone_."

"That's awesome!" said George. He turned to the little girl. "Did you hear that? My friend's getting married."

"Really?" she asked, eyes wide. George used the moment to administer the injection.

"Really," said George. He put a band-aid over her arm. "And you're done."

"I didn't feel anything," she said, doubtfully.

"Well, I put it in there, I promise," said George. "You can go home."

The little girl stuck out her finger. "Pinky promise?"

George linked his pinky with hers. "Pinky promise. You won't get the flu now."

The little girl's mom, who was sitting to the side, looked extremely relieved. "Thank you, Dr. O'Malley."

"No problem," said George, letting the little girl have her choice of lollipops. After they left, he turned to Izzie and Alex. "The syringes are in that bin over there…you can take Booth 5 and 6."

"Hey look, Christina!" said Izzie. "Christina! I have to tell you something!"

"Oh, boy," muttered Alex.

* * *

"Hey," said Derek. "I didn't think I'd see you here." 

"Well, after staying up so late last night, Addi took me back to the hotel to sleep," said Brianna. "But it got kind of boring, so I got a cab back here."

"And that's okay with Addison?" asked Derek.

Brianna shrugged. "I guess…it's not like I haven't done it before."

"I heard you talked to your mom last night."

"I did."

"How long are you staying?"

"Um…right now, it looks like I'm staying indefinitely," she replied, a bit of a catch in her voice. There was a pause while she tried to collect herself. "I don't really know." She stopped Derek before he could say anything. "I'm alright…it just kinda sucks."

Derek shrugged. "Let's sit," he said, pointing to a stretcher in the hallway. He pointedly ignored the fact that she had to climb up into it (though she'd grown since he'd last saw her, she was still nowhere near where her aunt was) for her pride's sake. Brianna leaned back against the wall and sighed.

"It wouldn't be too bad staying here," she said, after a while. "I mean, if I had to leave, I'd miss you guys. And I'd probably end up back here anyway."

"You still want to be a surgeon after hanging out with us all this time?" asked Derek, amused.

Brianna's answer was sure. "Yes."

"Well, we'll just make the best out of all of this," said Derek. "That's pretty much all that we can do."

* * *

"Weren't you off like, fifteen minutes ago?" asked Mark, approaching Addison who was standing, in her street clothes, in front of the NICU. 

Addison checked her watch. "Oh, I didn't notice."

Mark laughed. "Right. Says the woman who hasn't been late for anything in…well, how long have we known each other?"

"Your point?"

"The interns aren't the only ones who like to hang out with the babies."

"Well, it's kind of my job."

Mark shook his head. "Have you heard the latest news?"

"Gossip on Christmas?" Addison asked. "Does that woman ever sleep?"

"Jonah and Chris are engaged."

Addison smiled. "Really? That's wonderful."

"Yeah…told me herself. If she comes to tell you, just pretend I didn't tell you, okay?"

Addison laughed. "Okay."

"Now, do you think you could tear yourself away from the babies for an hour so we can go eat? Not that hospital Christmas food is anything to look forward to, but…"

"Burke made the food," said Addison. "It'll be good, I promise." She sighed. "Okay, let's go. It's just so…good, when a baby born on Christmas…lives through it, I guess. I've seen so many die on Christmas, but these…" She gestured to the babies. "It's like an extra miracle when they live."

Mark stared back at the babies. He'd always admired what Addison did, but he hated that she'd had to deal with their deaths all the time. Sometimes he felt, that in spite of all the years Addison had been doing her job, each baby that died took a little part of her with it. He remembered their internship, when he'd comfort her crying and wonder if this job was going to take her with it. "We could stay longer, if you want."

"Could we?" She stared back through the glass. In the corner, Meredith was standing over Luke, her back to them.

Mark looked down at her. "Sure."

The man next to Addison turned to her. "Which one's yours?"

Addison crossed her arms across her chest. "Oh, none," she answered. She snuck the tiniest of glances at Mark. "Yet. I work here."

The man grinned. "That one's mine." He pointed to the baby girl closest to the window.

"She's beautiful."

"I know."

* * *

Rules were thrown to the winds for the Seattle Grace Christmas dinner, as the doctors turned Conference Room #2 into the site of a banquet. Decorations (courtesy of Brianna) hung from the walls, looking like real snow was falling in the room. Lines between interns, residents, and attendings didn't exist for the night, and with Bailey and the Chief at home with their families, everyone took the opportunity to sit with whomever they liked. 

The dinner Burke had made really did include everything, ranging from turkey to pie, along with several deserts by Izzie. Meredith had all the leftover food from her house brought over, and there was more than enough. Izzie suggested sharing with the patients, and the rest of the staff agreed.

After everyone had eaten, they began to break off into their groups. The nurses took the center of the room, and the four attendings, interns, and Callie took the corner farthest away. Derek and Meredith sat against the wall, her head on his shoulder. Christina sat next to her with Jonah. Burke sat between them. Alex, Izzie, and George lay in the middle of the angular half circle, George's head on Callie's lap. On Derek's other side, Mark sat against the wall, with Addison on his lap and Brianna on her lap.

"Let's see the ring again," said Christina. Jonah held out her hand.

"That's a whole lot of sparkle," said Brianna. She turned to Addison. "I want a ring like that when I get married."

"I think your mother would hope that's a little farther off for you," said Addison.

"Where's Chris?" asked Meredith.

"I'll see him in an hour," said Jonah happily. "When I told my resident, she decided to let me go home early."

"That's awesome," muttered Callie. She was already falling asleep.

"This is the best Christmas ever," sighed Jonah. Now, everyone was pretty used to her hanging out with them. Her resident and Bailey had some kind of mutual unspoken agreement to share her. Not that anyone complained or even cared. They'd simply accepted her as part of their family.

"I can't wait until New Year's," said Alex. "Hey!"

Everyone had thrown a peanut at him.

"Well, I _am_ definitely happy to be spending Christmas with you guys," said Mark. "I'm serious…stop laughing."

"I'm not laughing at you," said Brianna. "I'm just…laughing in general."

"I'll second that," said Callie. "I like the way Christmas works around here."

"With our little fractured family," finished Izzie.

"You're so cheesy," said Meredith.

"Whatever."

"Hey, can we just agree that we're all kind of happy right now? And that that doesn't happen very often? And we should shut up and enjoy it?" asked Derek.

There was a silence, which Christina broke. "Well, you can't really argue with that."

She couldn't have said it better.

* * *

**Once again, thank you everyone! You guys all deserve cookies for staying with me for this long! 3 If you liked this, click on my name and head over and read my other stuff.**

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